Xena & Gabrielle: A Turn of Fate
by Ahkiken
Summary: A decision made by Xena on the bards birthday, sets the stage for untold events to unfold. Looking forward to settling down with Xena, Gabrielle's enclosed happiness is shelved when an old acquaintance from the Warrior Princess past insist on their help to stop an evil daemon. Torn doing right by her soulmate, or sacrificing everything, Xena is faced with tremendous obstacles.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: **The character's of Xena, The Warrior Princess, and Hercules, The Legendary Journeys are owned by MCA/Universal, and Renpics. No copyright infringement is intended in the making of this epic tale.

**Warning:** This story contain strong language and violence on every level, whether it's mentioned, implied, or acted out. It also has graphic sexual themes between hetero/homosexual men and women. If you are not 18 to 21 years of age, or if this tale is not your cup of tea, nor allowed in your country/state, you should go now. I'm positive that there are other bards out there that will appease you. Leave this story to the mature audience.

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story's tied in with my other tale, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny. It is highly imperative that you read a chapter from both stories back to back in intervals. Always read the first chapter of this tale first, then read the first chapter of, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny, before reading the second chapters of any of these two stories, so that the plot won't become confusing later down the line. I will always update this story first. I know that this type of story probably has never been done before, but I promise you, that your time will be well invested.

**Xena and Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 1: New Beginnings**

"I don't like the mist of spring." Gabrielle announced walking beside Xena, atop Argo II.

The dark haired warrior looked down at Gabrielle with a perplexed expression. "Mist of spring?"

"Yes." she answered. "After that rain pour last night, the mist it left behind shrouds the beautiful greenery this season has to offer."

Xena let loose a small chuckle.

"You going to let me in on the joke?" Gabrielle asked.

"And here I thought that you had lost your bardic skills, but now I see there's still a bard in you yet." Xena teased.

Gabrielle smiled. "Well, it may have a lot to do with that lovely poem you gave to me from, Sappho on my birthday."

The short haired blonde caressed Xena's leg. "It may have awaken something within me."

Xena stopped Argo, and bent down to face her soul mate. "What might that be?"

Almost face to face, Gabrielle stood on the tip of her toes to capture Xena's lips with her's. Breaking away, the warrior bard enjoyed the lust filling in the older woman eyes.

"You may never know." Gabrielle said.

"I'm positive if I wanted to, I could discover all of your secrets."

"Dream on, Xena."

Straighten herself upright, Xena started Argo moving again.

While they traveled in comfortable silence, Gabrielle was thinking about her last birthday two weeks ago. All the practical jokes Xena played on her, and the one she pulled off on the warrior. After helping Genia escape religious zealots, and then stopping a crazy marriage, due to the goddess of love, Aphrodite's influence, the amazon knew Xena wasn't going to allow her to get away with the bathing in fish guts prank.

Little did she know that Xena had a big surprise in stored for her. Not only did she secure a poem for her, but before giving back the helmet of Hermes to King Thoas, Xena took Gabrielle on a flight around Thebes and then to the kingdom of the King. With the return of the helmet, King Thoas offered them to stay for the night as special guest. Xena accepted once it was agreed that she and her bard would have their privacy. Gabrielle was reluctant to just leave all their belongings at the campsite, but Xena assured her all would be well, that the King's men would guard their items, and Argo.

That night, Xena treated Gabrielle like a bona fide queen. From serving her, to bathing her with water and jasmine, to ravaging her sexually in the soft bed, till the younger woman begged her to stop. It was a fantastic birthday, and one of the best days of her life since her and Xena awoken from their icy slumber. Xena only made it even more joyous by giving her another gift after their intense love making.

'Who would have thought, the great Warrior Princess, would ever ask me. I was just happy with the poem, and nothing beats birthday sex with her. But this!' Gabrielle paused her musing, to gaze at her index finger.

A wide grin graced her features. 'Many happy returns, indeed.'

Noticing her companion, Xena wondered what had her in such a happy mood. "I kiss good, but not that good."

The statement brought Gabrielle's attention.

"Are you thinking about your sister and niece? We can go back if you want."

Gabrielle and Xena stayed in Potidaea for four days, helping around the barn, seeing how Sarah was coping after everything that happened in Africa with Gurkhan, and sharing the news that was only shocking to Sarah, but not Lila, who had huffed. _'Bout time.' _

Their stay there had also served another purpose for Gabrielle. The item she purchased would be giving to the warrior, her soul mate, tonight.

"I had fun with my family. Our family." she corrected with a smile. "But unless we are settling down in Potidaea, I rather much be on the road with you."

That last sentence caused a thought to enter Xena's head. Something she had been thinking off and on about for a while now.

"When we get to Scione, there's an important matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Oh yeah. There's also something important that I want to do too." Gabrielle concurred.

"Hmm, since we both have matters of importance at our destination, why don't you get up here with me." Xena said.

"I don't think so. I doubt I can keep my hands to myself. Then, we'll never make it." the bard replied.

Next, Xena galloped her mare ahead to stand in front of the petite woman. "Who said I was asking."

She used her deep tone that use to scare Gabrielle in the beginning of their travels, but now caused her to shiver in delight. The young amazon liked it a lot when Xena became demanding in this fashion, because it was fun sometimes to deny her, and after many years in the bed roll, it was exciting to break her.

"See, times like this, I really miss, Horse." the blonde said making her way towards the palomino and its mistress, while thinking about the mare she had nearly thirty decades passed.

"Probably in the future we can get you one of your own again." Xena stated.

"Really?"

The raven haired warrior reached down and lifted Gabrielle up, setting her comfortably behind her.

'Damn, she's strong.' Gabrielle thought as she felt up and down Xena's muscular biceps, to finally rest her arms around her waist.

"No." Xena said.

"No?" Gabrielle repeated.

"You're not getting your own horse again. I don't want to miss you being this close to me."

Leaning her head on strong shoulders, Gabrielle playfully slapped Xena's thigh and said. "You'll pay for tricking me."

"Promises, promises." she retorted before kicking Argo into full speed down the dip.

A couple of hours into their travels, Gabrielle struck up a conversation about the alternative life they had when Caesar's disruption of the Fates loom caused him to become Emperor of Rome, her to become a renown playwright, and Xena to become his Empress, ruling beside him.

"I don't want to talk about that Gabrielle. I'm just happy you fixed it, and brought us back to normalcy." Xena said.

Feeling Xena's discomfort, Gabrielle tried explaining. "I agree, it was a huge ordeal for us Xena. That's why I only wanted to talk about the time we spent together."

Xena expelled a breath. "If you recall correctly, I died. And I would gladly die for you again, if it meant saving your life."

Gabrielle hugged her lover tightly while resting her head on Xena's back. "I know you would, and when you went to the cross, I felt when you died. It left an unbearable pain inside me. Tenfold more than when I ever had lost you before. I was so distraught that even when the Fates warned me that I would destroy all of time by destroying the loom, I didn't care."

Gabrielle squeezed a little tighter and then continued. "God damn the whole world if I can't have you Xena."

The Warrior Princess smiled at hearing such conviction in the bard's words.

'You would sacrifice the whole world for me. What did I do to deserve a devote woman like you?' she asked herself as she placed one hand on top of Gabrielle's arms, that were gripped around her waist.

Gabrielle wasn't at all upset, nor baffled that Xena didn't make a comment to her declaration of their love, because inside of her heart and mind, she knew that the warrior loved her equally, if not more. But sometimes, just sometimes.

She wished Xena would say more.

"I'm sorry Gabrielle." Xena spoke out, making the amazon think that she read her mind.

"Why?"

"Here you were trying to make idle talk, and I had to somber the mood." Xena answered.

"True, you did." the shorter warrior said causing Xena to pinch her arm. "But I have a remedy for situations like these."

"Hmm, and what might that be?" Xena was curious.

"When I was bringing up the topic, I wasn't speaking about our trials at all." Lifting herself up to Xena's ear, Gabrielle silently said. "I wanted to know how long it would have took you to ask, or take my virginity?"

The warm breath mixed with the bard's voice made Xena quiver slightly as she felt herself become somewhat aroused.

"Virginity? You were a virgin?"

"Yes. And to be honest, I wanted to give it to you, so badly." Gabrielle finished by kissing and sucking Xena's neck.

Sensations almost forced Xena to steer Argo II in the wrong direction.

"Answer me, I'm sure you could sense our love, but did you feel lust as well? Come on Xena, tell me, how long before you would had laid claim on my body?"

"Probably on that stage." Bringing Argo to a halt, Xena twisted her torso to look at the young blonde.

Inching closer to an inviting mouth, the raven haired woman purred. "But most definitely when you were on the balcony." Still moving towards her goal. "I was seconds from summoning you to my most private chambers."

When the two women lips touched, Xena said. "And there, I would have taken your maidenhand, making you scream my name." With each kiss, she whispered. "Over. Over."

Xena then darted her tongue inside the young bard's mouth. Their tongues tangled together as Gabrielle succumbed to Xena's dominating pink muscle.

Pulling away, Xena said one last time. "And over again."

Grasping Gabrielle with one arm surrounding her, Xena began sucking her neck, that coax a low moan from the blonde. The next sound came from Gabrielle's stomach, signaling that food was overdue.

Xena laughed lightly. "Your stomach reminds me of Alti, they both interrupted me from taking you."

Xena turned around to get her tan, cream horse walking again.

Although Gabrielle hunger for food, she was also highly aroused. "My fault Xena, I should have eaten more than an apple before we left Potidaea. If it matters to you, I'm more horny than hungry." she proclaimed laying her head on Xena's shoulders again.

"No doubt. I could make you hot in a snow storm." she bragged.

"A snow storm, probably. How about a full blown blizzard?" Gabrielle jest.

"Now you're asking too much." Xena retorted. "There's a clearing farther ahead, we could hunt some game, rest, or head towards Mende. It's a small town, we could buy some extra provisions for our trip to Scione."

Not really thinking about the options Xena offered, Gabrielle just wanted to be close to her lover for a while longer, forgetting that she spent most of their dinars on the gift in Potidaea. "Mende is fine with me."

Next she placed a chaste kiss on Xena's neck. "I told you."

"Hmm?" the warrior hummed.

"That I'll make you pay. Now you're turned on and can't receive release."

"What make you think that I am turned on?" Xena inquired.

Small hands grazed Xena's thigh, delicately rubbing the olive skin. With her fingers going higher under the Warrior Princess' battle dress, Gabrielle relished in the fact that her soul mate was shuddering against her petite body.

"We both know the truth." Gabrielle placed a second kiss on Xena's bronze skin, lingering for a short time to gently suck it.

"Mmm, fine." Xena agreed. "Now stop it, before I take you on top of Argo."

"Oouuu, we'd never done that yet." Gabrielle cooed as Xena swatted Gabrielle's hands off her.

Loud laughter filled the air while the three continued their journey.

A half hour pass the clearing field Xena had mentioned, the trio were close to Mende.

"We're almost there, I'm going to slow Argo down to a steady pace." Xena pulled the reigns, causing the mare to stop running and instead to walk.

The bard took notice. "How far along are we?"

"Nearly there, Gabrielle. Once we get out of these woods, you'll be able to see the town."

"Good."

"Oh, I'm sure you are delighted."

"And what that's suppose to mean?" Gabrielle asked.

"You are hungry, food is probably the only thing on your brain." Xena said in a statement of fact.

"Well, you'd be wrong. Besides, if what you said was true, why did you slow Argo down below a trot, when we was making better progress at the speed we were just in?" Gabrielle questioned.

"We have been pushing Argo for a while now, and I don't want her exhausted." Xena answered.

"So I starve? That's a great answer, Xena. I'm glad I am use to this."

"You are?" Xena wondered what her young lover was getting to.

"Like mother, like daughter. I came second to Argo, now I have to play second fiddle to Argo Jr." Gabrielle joked.

The palomino that was in discussion let out a snort of understanding, causing the duo to burst in merriment. After the laughter died out, Xena turned to Gabrielle in the silence.

"Gabrielle."

Noting the serious tone, Gabrielle answered dutifully. "Yes?"

"What do you hear?"

The petite blonde amazon, quiet her mind and attuned herself to the environment they were occupying. Gabrielle listened to the leaves on the branches of the trees as they bristled against the wind. She could also hear a bird calling. A hawk, most definitely scavenging for unlucky prey. Although the fog from earlier had cleared, it didn't matter, Gabrielle heard what she needed to.

Gabrielle leaned her forehead on Xena's back, and started counting. "Five, four, three, two, one."

When she had finished counting, as if on cue, five bandits jumped from behind the trees that littered the area.

Xena brought Argo II to a complete halt. Taking a quick detailed look at the men in front of her, they looked like every run of the mill ragged robbers, except one. Instead of being all men, it was a woman who stood in front of the four males with her right hand on the handle of her sword. She had long auburn hair, a firm build that was covered by a sleeveless red tunic and dark brownish trousers, with brown boots.

She seem to be the leader of the scoundrels as she spoke out. "My, what a pretty horse you have." she announced to Xena. Casting a leer on Gabrielle, she said. "And what a pretty little thing behind you as well, she'll do fine for my men."

Xena ignored her and cocked her head to the side to whisper in Gabrielle's ear. "Nice job. You even counted them all out. I'm proud of you."

The gracious amazon couldn't help but beam at the compliment.

"Alright!" the woman yelled out getting the couples attention. "You know what this is! So get off your horse, turn it, your blonde friend, your money, and your weapons over to us. I promise, once you do, things won't go bad for you."

"I don't turn over my girls to just anyone." Xena purred. "And if you want to offer some kind of payment to buy them..."

"We're not interested." Gabrielle picked up.

"Ha, would you look at that. Not one, but two mouthful whores. I can't wait to put something in it to shut them up." one of the goons said.

The auburn haired leader started to look pensive. "You leave me no choice. Ready boys!" she roused.

The men unsheathed their swords while shouting in unison. "Aye, Xena!"

"Xena?" Gabrielle was as puzzled as the real Xena was.

"Now you're scared, huh? Yes, I am the legendary Xena, the Destroyer of Nations, and you two will be added to the list of those I have conquered. Oh, and your tan horse too." the imposter claimed.

The dark haired warrior let out a condescending laugh. "Legendary Xena, please don't harm us." she playfully said as she dismounted off Argo.

Drawing her sword free, she pointed it at the blue eyed woman, trying to ponder why she look familiar. "You mock me!"

Unleashing her blade as well, Xena taunted her more. "Sure I am."

The pretender let out a shrill cry as her sword connected with Xena's. The other four bandits made their way to Argo and the bard, while Xena's and the imposter's swordplay took them several steps away.

Gabrielle took note that Xena was playing with the other woman.

"You mind as well give up. No one can defeat Xena." the man who made the earlier rude remark boasted.

"Hey, that's my line." she corrected.

Her words of morass caused the men to be somewhat confused, Gabrielle seized the opportune moment. Flipping off the saddle, the red scarlet clad amazon kicked the closest man in his chest, dropping him. Next, she gripped her sais from her boots, twirling them in her hands to display her skills with the farmer tools that were very deadly and effective to her foes.

A tall bandit foolishly decided not to be chicken, and swung his blade at her. Catching the steel between her sais, Gabrielle quickly locked the long sword in her prongs, with a strong twist of her wrist, she snapped his weapon in two. After the cheap blade was broken, the blonde turned the sais handle up, and hit the guy a couple of times in his throat. He too had fallen.

'Only two left. Not including that fake, Xena's fighting. I wish she would hurry up and beat her a-'

"You're one lucky piece of ass, girlie." another unsightly bandit said, cutting off her thoughts.

"But that's about to change." the last one declared, before they both charged her.

Gabrielle did a back hand flip, to a jumping back flip that could almost rival Xena's. She landed at the rear of Argo and started to walk backwards as the two men slowly moved towards her. With haste, she deposited her twin weapons back into her boot straps. Then she raised her hands in the air, in a gesture of surrender. The men stopped, shocked by the bard's tactic, and when she let loose a whistle they really were at a lost, until they both felt something incredibly painful hit their back, launching them into the air, to descend awkwardly on the forest floor.

"Good girl." Gabrielle cheered to Argo II, for the double kicks of justice she dished out on the two bandits.

Gabrielle patted the cream, tan mare as she focused on Xena, still playing around in battle with the auburn haired woman.

"Don't worry Argo, let Xena have her fun, soon she'll be done and we can move on." Then she thought to herself. 'We have new beginnings to sort out.'

**To Becontinued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with my other tale, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny. If you haven't read chapter 1 of both stories, you should do so now. Also I would like to thank my readers, (can't believe I got some) other than myself, I do this for you.

**Xena and Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 2: Past Misdeeds**

The mysterious woman was on the offensive, swinging her sword, desperate for a direct hit. Xena continually allowed her to.

"You know." Xena started to say as she watched her opponent become winded with every strike. "You're going to tire out if you keep attacking me this way."

Taking another swing, the auburn haired warrior cried. "Shut up and fight back!"

Xena blocked the so-called, Destroyer of Nations attacks six times before saying. "If I attack, I'll hurt you."

"You can't hurt me." her sword connected with Xena's again. "I am the Destroyer of Na-"

Her tirade was cut short with a perfect timed parry, and an elbow to her stomach, forcing the young woman to drop on her knees.

"You held onto your weapon, that's a sign of a decent fighter." Xena commented while she sheathed her blade, then took the warrior's sword out of her defeated hand.

The woman was coughing, trying to get her bearings and oxygen back into her lungs.

"A decent fighter." Xena went on. "But not of the caliber you claim to be."

"I am, Xena." the warrior lied again.

"No you're not." a voice challenged.

Looking up slightly, the breathless woman recognized the pretty short haired blonde walking towards her.

"You!" the downed woman sounded shocked. "Shouldn't you be on your back somewhere?" Suddenly realization hit her. 'Where are my men? Surely this little thing couldn't have defeated them.' she thought with fear gripping her heart.

"Who... Who are y'all?" she asked.

"My name is Gabrielle, this here, is the one and only, Xena." the bard introduced herself and her companion.

'Is it possible? No way they could be Xena and the Battling Bard of Potidaea. No way!'

"Ridiculous." she deduced.

Gabrielle stood beside Xena. "Show her what you can do."

"You want me to use the pinch?" Xena asked incredulously.

"No silly. The chakram." Gabrielle clarified.

"Oh." Xena mouthed as her hand let the yin-yang chakram free.

The pretender watched the disc bounce off the trunks of trees and then split in two, still ricocheting off the obstacles of bark and stone, before finally becoming one again as it made the trek back into Xena's hand so that she could clip it onto her right hip again.

The surprised spectator couldn't help but stare at the duo, mesmerized by what she witnessed.

Raising a shaky finger in their direction, she stuttered. "You... You're Xe... Xena, and the bard, Gab... Gabrielle."

"Yup. And the horse that you wanted, her name is Argo." Xena replied.

"Impossible." the young woman muttered in amazement.

"Not impossible." Gabrielle chirped in. "That's Argo's mare, Argo Jr."

"I wasn't talking about the horse. I..." She was still in a daze when Xena helped her onto unsteady feet.

"There were rumors that Xena and her bard was dead. Then a year ago, I heard that they were seen around Chalcidice, on their way home after twenty-five years of their disappearance." the woman explained gaining her breath and balance.

"Can you stop referring to us in third person. We're alive, not dead." Xena retorted.

"But you both are so young."

Gabrielle softly nudge Xena's ribs while joking. "Some of us are, more than others."

Xena allowed the playful quip from her soul mate to pass. She began studying their would be robber's features. 'Auburn hair, light brown eyes, young face.'

After her assessment, Xena said. "You look young as well. I would guess no older than twenty seasons."

"Nineteen actually. Nineteen falls." she corrected.

'Ah, we're getting somewhere.' Xena mused. "Now that you know who we are, who are you, and why are you running around claiming to be me?"

With her eyes downcast, the young warrior yielded. "My name is, Tanya, of Larissa in Thessaly."

Tanya's pupils raised to the face of Xena. "Many people speak of you Xena. How you were once this evil warlord, bent on bringing misery and death to anyone. With that reputation, it earned you the title, Destroyer of Nations."

"That was Xena a lifetime ago." the blonde amazon stated defensively.

"I didn't mean any offense." Tanya apologized.

"Yeah, cause roaming about, pretending to be me isn't offensive at all." Xena chastised folding her arms.

Tanya looked down again. "Like I said, many people talk, and that was some of the things I've heard. Other voices... Majority of voices would tell tales of how you stopped the Thessalian Mitoans war."

Memories flooded Xena's senses with scenes of that fateful day almost three decades passed. Beyond the fact that she was a skilled strategist, and a magnificent leader when it came to tactical warfare, Xena hadn't taken a place on the front lines of battle. Instead, it was her ability as a unique healer that helped end the war.

"They said, you saved many of lives that day. That you kept many of souls from Hades." Tanya went on saying.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." Xena responded.

Tanya's head shot up. "Not even from my own father? He told me that, you didn't just save lives, but stolen back a soul from the underworld god himself. A soul that was and is very special to you."

"Your father?" Xena inquired.

"Marmax." Tanya answered.

"Marmax? Your father is Marmax, one of the leaders of the Mitoans?" Gabrielle was clear amazed.

"Yes." she clarified in advance of turning her focus fully on Xena. "But is it true?"

Xena went silent as her greatest fear that day washed over her.

_I'm not quite sure how I got myself into this._

_I mean, I am Xena, once proud Destroyer of Nations. I could have been Impress of Corinth, if not all of Greece right now. Not here, stuck between two opposing forces, bent on murdering each other simply because of different faiths. _

_Fools._

_My sword haven't killed a single person. Instead, I'm in this Thesssalonian temple trying to save Thessalians and Mitoans alike. If my enemies were to see me now, they would be laughing at me. The ones that are dead and buried, would be turning in their graves._

_The ones that were lucky enough to still have a body, if they didn't suffer my more grotesque wrath. Other than that, their heads would be on a pike. _

_Poor Galen, what a useless healer. Only good to pray to a non caring roman god, who I am positive doesn't give a damn._

_Romans. Nothing but let downs. Believe me, I know._

_I'm glad I took leadership over this hospice, many people had died already, but I'm sure if I have not taken command, lots more would be dead. I am not totally ungrateful to Hercules for setting me on this path. The path of the Greater Good. I will be forever in his debt. Even though I'm seeking redemption for my past misdeeds, and are helping a lot of strangers, I still sometimes wish for death._

_That's what I deserve._

_However, I been doing this Greater Good thing now for almost a year, and I'm growing accustom to it. Saving these men lives brings me a sense of..._

_Peace._

_Especially now, as I hand Phantes' and Ephiny's centaur baby over to her. Such a shame what happened to Prince Phantes, to die a horrible death. Funny how life works itself out. Good people die while the bad mostly prosper. Still, looking at the expression on Ephiny's face makes me forget about conflicts and death. The only thing important here, is life. How Gabrielle would love to see this moment right now. Being with her amazon sister doing this time._

_Where is Gabrielle?_

_It is then that I am aware of commotion going on behind me. I rush over to see what's the problem and come across Gabrielle lying on a patient's gurney. How can this be, what happened?_

_I hear some guy talking about how his child was lost outside the temple, and Gabrielle went to find him. Gods, she is so kind, so selfless and so..._

_Stupid!_

_It's a war going on, she knows that. So naive. Yet I can only be mad with myself, I brought us here to this tartarus hole. All I can do now is find out what's wrong and save her. _

_Without warning, her body starts convulsing uncontrollably, before it stills._

_"What's happening?" Marmax asked._

_"I don't know! Gabrielle!" I shout._

_"She's dead." Hippocrates declares sadly._

_"She is not dead, I wouldn't let her." I snarl. "Come on, Gabrielle, wake up."_

_She's just sleeping. I'll shake her, she hates it when I do that._

_"Come on, wake up. Come on, wake up." I repeat while shaking her. "Wake up, you're scaring me."_

_As I realize she's not breathing, I feel an unknown pain within me. "Wake up. Gabrielle breathe. Come on. Come on, breathe, breathe."_

_I begin to become afraid and a sense of panic overwhelms me. I understand these emotions, but this growing pain, I still can't call it._

_"Maybe she just needs air." I announce to no one in particular. "I need to get some air in her lungs."_

_Leaning, I place my mouth over her's with the intent of breathing life into her. _

_"Come on, Gabrielle breathe!" I shout while still continuing my method of resuscitation._

_"Please stop it. She's dead now. She's in a better place." Hippocrates tried to force me to accept. It only makes me more determined._

_"Get out of my way! You don't know anything!" I scream at him before turning my attentions back to my main concern. "Don't you listen to him." I beg her, knowing she's alive. Hoping she would open those aqua eyes for me._

_"Come on, I know you're in there, prove it." I'm irritated now, and close to hysteria. "You can show him. Come on. Wake up and breathe."_

_I'm shaking her a bit roughly now. How dare she wiggle her way into my life only to leave me. To die on me. It should be me lying here dying. This is to be my fate, not her's, never her's._

_The unknown pain, it's growing._

_"You never ran from anything in your whole life. Come on, fight!" I yell, hitting her chest hard. _

_Next, I hear Marmax's voice. "Xena."_

_"Fight!" I pound her again._

_"Xena! It's time to stop now." he exclaimed grasping my attention. "Let her cross over peacefully."_

_"What do you know?" I snap. This war was all his gods be damned fault. "You've killed so many."_

_Marmax gazed into my eyes as he said very gently. "So have you. Let it go." _

_He was right. I was a killer. I am a killer. A murderer of thousands of people, whether innocent like Gabrielle, or guilty like Caesar. I have failed in protecting Gabrielle the same way I had failed Lyceus, M'Lila..._

_I bring my sorrow and sadness to the surface of my very carefully closed heart. Gabrielle is not them. She won't end up like them._

_"No!" I scream, refusing to let go and see reasoning. "No. Come on, Gabrielle. Come on. Come on." I'm holding her in my arms now, beating the Hades out of her chest. I'm way pass hysterics as the tears roll down the side of my face unchecked. I don't care, I love her, and now she's trying to do the same thing she had done to me twice already throughout our journey together. Leave me, only this time, it'll be permanent. _

_"Don't leave me. Don't you leave me!" I am weeping openly now, still pounding her chest daring silently for someone to interfere, or disturb me so I could make Marmax's words true by killing everyone around me. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Wake up! Wake up!" _

_I hit her again crying. "WAKE UP!"_

_Gabrielle's eyes open, her mouth, gasping for oxygen. My blue orbs lock onto her's, and something inside me clicks. Strange, I didn't think that painful feeling had anything to do with my heart._

_"You're Aesculupius!" Galen cry out falling to his knees. "You've come back to Gaia."_

_"Get up, Galen. I'm not Aesculupius, you should know that by now." After boring daggers into the old fool, I peer back into Gabrielle's greenish blue irises. "It's Gabrielle who performed the miracle." I kiss her forehead. "Didn't 'cha?" _

_I finally recognized that click in my heart. My soul, if I truly have one, felt complete now that I gained Gabrielle back._

_It was love..._

Gabrielle placed her hands on Xena's shoulder, evaporating the remaining memories.

"Xena." the bard was concerned about her soul mate's expression. "Xena, are you alright?"

The Warrior Princess nodded her head that she was fine.

From the look on Xena's face, Tanya had her answer. "It is true." Smiling from ear to ear, she pointed at Gabrielle. "It was her, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

Xena's short answer made Tanya guffaw. "I can't believe this."

The duo was taken back by the out burst.

"You're my heroes, but you Xena. You saved my dad, you saved villages from horrible warlords and bandits. I've even heard, you fought the gods and became a God slayer. I knew I recognized you from the description people describe."

"Alright. Alright." Xena tried to get the excited youth to calm herself. "I'm sure Marmax, made it clear to you that I am no longer a warlord, yet you try to steal my identity as the Destroyer of Nations. Why?"

Tanya blushed while explaining. "I didn't mean to. I wanted to travel, you know? See the world. A year ago, some Larissians claimed to have seen you two in the area of Stagirus and Argilus, heading back to Amphipolis. I pleaded with my father to let me go, but he said, the road is no place for a woman. Bad things can happen, caused by slavers, ruffians, or anyone for that matter. I still wouldn't give up."

"So you just left?" Gabrielle knew it was the wrong decision to make, but it would have been the one she have done.

"No way. Me and my father worked out a nice agreement." Tanya said happily.

Xena inclined her head to Gabrielle's ear and whispered. "Not everyone is like you, Ms, I'm going to follow the dangerous woman who protected me and my friends from slavers."

Gabrielle glared into her blue orbs and stated. "It worked didn't it? Here I am with you after all these years."

Xena became lost in the moment and placed a soft kiss above Gabrielle's golden crown. "You sure are, and I won't forget that you also saved my life as well when you followed me back home, and kept the villagers from stoning me."

Tanya watch the two with great interest. The way the dark haired warrior stared at the blonde bard spoke volumes. "Are y'all... Um, it's none of my business, but are you both... Lovers?"

Gabrielle didn't know what to say, or how to answer that one. Her and Xena have been secret lovers for so long, only a handful of people actually knew, while others guess, and in this case, inquired.

Xena, however ignored the question and countered with her own. "So you and your father worked out something. What was it?"

Tanya decided to bow out of her investigation of the historic duo's relationship. "We agreed on, if he trains me to handle a sword better than most, I could go out into the world. Long story short, I learned, but when I finally gotten to the Chalcidice territory, I kinda..." her voice trailed off.

"Kinda, what?" Xena asked nonchalant.

Releasing a sigh, Tanya continued. "I ran into some men, and I kicked their butts. They were no match for me. I felt invincible defeating them."

A grin formed on her face.

"Did you kill any of them?" Gabrielle wanted to know.

"No." Xena answered. "She didn't kill anybody. Did you Tanya?"

It was a rhetorical question, and they both knew the answer. "No. They asked me who I was and how did I fight so diligently. So I told them-"

"You were, Xena." Gabrielle smiled. She understood what it was like to want to mimic an incredible warrior like Xena. The young amazon even pretended to be the Warrior Princess once upon a time, although it was for the Greater Good.

"I told them I was Xena, but they chose to call me, the Destroyer of Nations. I tried to stop them from using the title, but they kept on chanting it and swore loyalty to me. It was so, intoxicating." Tanya admitted.

Xena knew all too well. "The power, huh? It'll cause you to do things you never thought you would."

"That is exactly what happened." Tanya assent. "Soon I was harassing people who I felt was inferior to me, up to this point of trying to rob y'all, and give Gabrielle to my men. This is the worse I had ever done in the fortnight I been hanging with them." Tanya's face went gloomy. "Forgive me."

"No harm, no foul." the bard said lightly. Xena gave Gabrielle a side glance. "What?"

"No harm Tanya, because it was us, you and your hooligans came up against, but it's a foul for leading these men on to such a destructive and belligerent path." Xena put eloquently.

Tanya looked down again in shame.

"Promise us." Gabrielle announced.

"Anything." the younger woman was eager for a second chance.

"Dispose your men if they can't fight for the Greater Good." Xena proposed.

"Greater Good?" Tanya asked.

"Serving a purpose that's more than yourself. Like helping others the way we do." Xena answered flipping Tanya's sword handle first, offering it back to her.

Tanya sheathed it onto her hip as Gabrielle told her. "And no more using Xena's name."

"I will stop. Thank you both for giving me another chance."

The two warriors smiled.

"You're okay, and tell your father we said hello." Gabrielle replied.

Tanya became troubled. "Actually, I was hoping-"

"That bitch kicked me!" one of the men shouted vehemently.

The women turned to face him, and Gabrielle pegged him as the first man she had attack after she flipped off of Argo II.

Next, Tanya began walking over towards him. "Jargas, it's cool. I've made a terrible mistake."

"No mistake, Destroyer. Lets beat their ass!" he exclaimed.

"Here we go again." Gabrielle sighed gripping one of her sais in hand.

"No, Jargas. They're heroes." she tried to reason again while totally forgetting who she was pretending to be. "They are Xena, and Gabrielle."

"Wait, I thought you were Xena?"

"I apologize Jargas, but I lied. I'm not Xena, my real name's Tanya, and I want to fight for what's right. I want us all to fight for the Greater Good." Tanya said.

Jargas was steaming inside, not only this bitch wasn't the Destroyer of Nations, but she made fools out of him and his friends for damn near two weeks. What could he do? He didn't want to get kicked in his chest again. Slowly a mischievous grin formed on his lips.

"So that's the real Xena?" he asked.

Tanya nodded vigorously.

"I would love to greet her."

"Really, you're not mad at me?" she inquired.

'Damn straight I am!' he secretly mused. "Of course not. She's the Xena. Come on, introduce me, I think I want to fight for this Greater Good crap too."

Tanya was giddy with joy. She really liked Jargas and was happy that he was choosing to aid the helpless along side her. She turned her back on him, but when she started walking towards the tall and short warriors, her excitement dwindled to dread once she took stock of the bard's expression.

"Tanya, watch out!" Gabrielle yelled.

Turning around quickly, Tanya saw Jargas as he raised his dagger from his wristband to stab her. She couldn't react fast enough, and just knew she was going to die.

"You deceiving bitch!" he screamed with rage in his eyes as the short blade descended to impale her chest. Before she knew what happened, a sai was embedded into Jargas striking arm.

"Ahhh!" he grunted loudly staring at the strange weapon that pierced his skin, forcing him to drop his small knife.

Tanya became to shocked to move. 'He could have killed me.' she thought frightfully.

"Get away from him!" Xena hoped to get Tanya's attention to no avail.

Jargas noticed the pause and took advantage by shoving her down with his good arm. He then bent to pick up his dagger, but before he could even think of using it, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. All he seen before his eyes went rolling into his head, was a small hand holding the handle of another one of those unknown weapons that was sticking out from his upper arm. Taking his last breath, he fell to the ground.

Xena ran over and lifted Tanya to her feet, while Gabrielle plucked her sais from Jargas lifeless body.

"Are you alright?"

Tanya's mind was still in a haze.

"Are you alright?" Xena repeated jerking her shoulders to get the auburn haired women to focus.

"Ye... Yes... Yes, I'm okay." she mumbled watching Gabrielle clean her twin weapons of the blood.

'Great. I have soiled my hands with another life again.' the velvet clad amazon thought sadly.

As if reading her lover's mind, Xena chimed. "There's a stream we could use to get cleansed, but it's farther from Mende."

"That is fine." Gabrielle accepted standing up after placing her sais back inside her boots.

"Tanya?"

"I... I never seen a... A dead body before. I seen someone unconscious, hurt even, but not... Not." she babbled.

"Do you have a horse, or items you need to take?" Xena asked.

"Yes."

"Well grab them, we need to go." Xena said walking towards Argo with Gabrielle trailing her.

Tanya aspect the other men that groaned on the ground. "What about them?"

"They'll keep, unless you want to stay here with them." Xena replied as the bard settled behind her on the saddle.

'They probably would try to kill me also.' Tanya feared running to her horse to gather her things and saddle up.

"Good choice." Xena told her. Working Argo II into a slow trot, she asked. "Ready, Tanya?"

The reddish brown haired young woman nodded in consent.

"Yah." Xena and Gabrielle sped off with Tanya not far off.

**To Becontinued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with the tale, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny. This is chapter 3, so if you haven't read chapter 1 and 2 of both stories, you should do so... Now. That way you won't be confused by the interlacing plot.

**Xena and Gabrielle, **

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 3: Perfect Future**

Gabrielle stood in the shallow body of the stream. Its waters came just below her thighs, requiring her to only remove her boots. Washing the remaining blood from her sais and hands, she wondered would the day ever come that she and Xena wouldn't have to fight, let alone kill any longer.

The warrior bard couldn't wait to get to Scione. She was hoping they could find a nice place to settle and work out a happy perfect future.

'Maybe, we can hang our weapons up for good.' Gabrielle thought, watching Xena take off her boots, and Tanya repeatedly splashing her face with the cold water.

Completely cleaning everything off, Gabrielle started to trace the circlet on her index finger, once again reminiscing about her night in Thebes with her soul mate.

_"Mmm, Xena!" _

_Was are I could moan and scream loudly. A blast of stars filled the pitch blackness of my closed eyes. The liquid from my orgasm was being lavishly licked by Xena's tongue. It was my third climax of the night and I was highly sensitive. I needed her constantly moving tongue to stop._

_"Please, Xena." I groan. _

_She must have mistook my word, because she began sucking my clit in earnest._

_"Ahh, Xena. Xena please... Please, I need you to... Oh, god, I need you to stop." I cried out between rising pain and pleasure._

_"What's wrong?" Xena asked ceasing her ministrations. "Let me give you one more, and I'll stop, okay?"_

_After she said that, two of her fingers slipped inside of me, making me cry anew. I grabbed her long moist hair, torn with decisions of wanting her to stop, and allowing her to take my body again once her fingers stroked me a few times. When her baby blue eyes locked onto mines, I pleaded with them for her to relent._

_Understanding my distress, Xena withdrew her digits from within me, causing me to yelp. Next, she brought the two fingers that was inside me, up to my lips, slipping them into my mouth. Maintaining eye contact, I sucked my essence off of her, sensuously. I use to find the taste of myself a bit awkward, but now I loved to savor the sweet tangy nectar that secreted out of me, almost as much as she did._

_Still, I loved the taste of her even more, and as I gaze into her irises, I thought for a second that she would ride my face, like she sometimes do. Instead, she kissed her way up my body, and then plunged her tainted tongue onto mine, giving me another helping of tasting myself. A soulful moan escaped one of us, but I didn't care who it came from, for if we kept kissing deeply as we were, I would soon do whatever she wanted me to._

_Pulling away, to my growing disappointment, she whispered. "Happy birthday, Gabrielle. Was it enjoyable?"_

_I found myself panting and nodding in appreciation. "Yes, you were wonderful."_

_Xena smirked. "I'm not talking about the sex. I know that was gratifying."_

_"You can be very cocky sometimes. I wasn't speaking about the sex either."_

_She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, calling my small fib._

_"Fine, our love making blew my mind." Grasping both sides of her face, I say. "Not only that. I've enjoyed everything you done for me today. The poem you gave me, simply made me happy."_

_Xena kissed me again, before laying her back on the soft bed, rolling me halfway on top of her naked flesh. Snuggling into my favorite spot, below her chin and neck, I decide to recite the poem._

_"There's a moment I look at you. And no speech is left in me. My tongue breaks, then fire races under my skin. And I tremble and grow pale. For I am dying of such love."_

_My soul mate chuckles in advance of teasing me. "It takes a bard to recite another bards work."_

_"Sappho's no mere bard, Xena." I felt her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug._

_"Did you mean it?" _

_"Hmm?" she use that sexy hum I love._

_"The poem silly, did you mean it?" I repeat. "Are you dying of such love? Do those words signify what's in your heart?"_

_She takes a short time to answer, causing me to believe that she would not._

_"No, I use to feel that way, but not anymore. I have no need to envy such love." Xena finally said._

_My heart rate picks up, beating in haste, and I let the tears spill from my eyes. "Why? Because you've found it, or you gave up on love?"_

_"I have found it. In you, Gabrielle."_

_"You are in love with me." I blurt out. "You've always loved me but, why?"_

_I lift myself off her to see her whole face directly. "Why'd you put us through so much, for so many years. You made me feel like I was only good enough for just your bed roll and not your heart."_

_The tears continued to fall while I went on my tangent. "You had hurt me so terribly when we went to Egypt. Telling me, you no longer wanted me sexually, that you only needed me as a friend. The whole affair with Marc Antony, it's like you didn't care if I was there or not. And after our slumber, you blatantly told me that I could sleep with Vir-"_

_In a flash, Xena tossed me over onto my back, our positions now reversed._

_"I know I have made horrible mistakes when it involves us. I also know that it was stupid of me to take you as a lover, and not have a monogamous relationship with you." _

_She paused, wiping the wetness from my cheeks. "I almost lost you many of times, but I realized that Virgil was the last I would ever chance in losing you."_

_Virgil._

_I have to tell her the truth about me and him._

_"Xena, me and Virgil. We-"_

_"I don't want to know. I never want to know." Xena interjected. "You are a benignant woman, Gabrielle, it doesn't take people long to see. You're intelligent, lovely, I could go on and on."_

_I cheered up. I didn't want to ruin the afterglow. "You forgot, worldly, cute, talented."_

_"And full of herself." Xena jived._

_She played with my golden hair that was close to my ear. "Looks like I should've paid better detail in cleaning your ears." _

_"What are you talking about, Xena?" _

_Prepared to protest, I gasp when I see a silver ring grace my sight. "What is-" _

_"Can you be quiet please. This is hard enough already."_

_I lay back on the pillow, trying my best not to get overly excited. I mean, it's just a ring. It could mean anything. Friendship ring. Lover ring. Bonding ring. _

_Calm down._

_Taking my left hand in her's, she began to say. "Let me tell you a story of a warrior. A tale about, me. A cowardly warlord named Cortese chose to raid a small village called Amphipolis. I decided to rouse the villagers to fight back, but by winning, many people lost family, friends, and I lost my brother, Lyceus. In turn I lost my mother, my home. For a very long time after that, I only wanted to help my village by also raiding other villages close to Amphipolis, and became a pirate. I fell in love with Caesar, thinking we would rule the world together. However, he spurn me, taking my love, and repaying me with betrayal, rage, death. I swore that I would never give my heart to another living person again._

_I took my frustrations and anger out on every living thing on this earth. I believed that I would never accept love again. Until Hercules changed all of that. He unchained my heart, and I began to love him for it."_

_Don't get jealous. Don't get jealous._

_"Then when I lost Marcus, I felt that he was my mortal beloved. But I was wrong about all of them. Petracles, Hercules, Marcus, Borias. I loved them, but in different ways, and for different reasons. Just like I loved M'Lila and Lao 'Ma in different ways. They all had helped me one way or another, selflessly. My heart was still shelled, till you."_

_It took all my control to hold my emotions in check._

_"When I found myself on the outskirts of Potidaea, I was ready to end my life. The sins of the past were eating me alive, but then I seen these villagers being routed by slavers, and this one long strawberry blonde haired girl was ready to take the abuse of slavery to save the others. I felt something force me into action. And when I stumbled into your aqua eyes, it left me defenseless. That's why I denied you from following me. You stalked me anyway, and broke down that shell around my heart."_

_A small laugh was released from me. "I'm not a stalker." I pretended to pout._

_"If you say so." she grinned before getting serious again. "We have been through a lot together. Some events, I don't care to remember, but throughout all of it, I cherish every moment with you and I need you to know."_

_Suddenly she stopped speaking and breathed in intensely. Come on, I am ardent to hear what she has to say._

_"I am in love with you. I have been for so long that I can't pinpoint exactly when, but it scared me. Maybe it started that first night we had sex and I was afraid to get hurt, or hurting you in return. That is why I put restrictions on us, and that is why I turned to Ulysses the following morning."_

_Damnit, don't ruin the mood by bringing up his name. After we slept together, the next day she was in his arms, caressing his lips with her's. Proclaiming that I taught her how to love, so that she could love him._

_Xena must have noticed my expression for what it was, because she gently touched the side of my face with her right hand._

_"Honestly, Gabrielle, none of them matter. Not Ulysses, Rafe, gods I don't know what the hell I was thinking with him. And Marc Antony, well, he reminded me of power and conquest. I didn't love any of them at all." she said profoundly._

_"Ares?" I question, knowing full well he could always pose a threat to me and Xena's relationship._

_"Ares entice my dark side. I am his chosen, there's nothing I can do to change that. All I can say is that, he will never ever coerce me from you."_

_"No one will ever break us apart?" I had to ask._

_"Nobody, Little one. I've kept my word to you thus far haven't I? At least since we came back to Potidaea."_

_True, she has. Not without admonition, she was still willing to allow me to avenge my family, by killing Gurkhan myself._

_"Yes." I agree._

_"Do you trust that I will always love you, take care of you, and your needs?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Do you want to be with me forever, in this world and beyond?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then bond with me. I will honor you. I will worship you, body and soul. I'll be damned if I left this life without you as my wife." She kissed me softly. "Say yes, Gabrielle."_

_Even after all the lies, pain, bliss, death, and tears our journey had cast on us, my brain raced with only one word. _

_"Yes!"_

_Xena's eyes glisten as she kissed and sucked my left index finger into her mouth before placing the silver ring on it. I took in the details of my new band. A jade stone is embedded in the middle and it also has indentations surrounding it. _

_I read the four words aloud. "My Heart, My Love. Xena, it's... I do not know what to say."_

_I was at a lost for words to explain the events that had transpired. This couldn't be happening, it had to be a trick, or some horrible dream. Okay, not horrible, a suitable nightmare, but I surely don't want to wake from this, especially as Xena claimed my mouth thoroughly with her's. My hands graze her dark nipples on her chest, and then entangles in her raven hair. I was aroused once more, and all I wanted to do was taste her._

_Xena released a moan, halting our dancing tongues. "You made me the happiest ex warlord ever." she exclaimed with a huge smile, making her azure orbs glow._

_It only made me want her greatly._

_I licked her neck up to her ear. "Allow me the pleasure of pleasing you more, my future wife."_

_Xena got the hint, and avidly climbed my small frame, setting her wet pussy over my watering mouth. I listened graciously to the sounds she made as I voluptuously sucked her to an orgasm._

Strong arms enclosed around Gabrielle's bare waist.

"What 'cha thinking?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle leaned into the embrace. "I'm beginning to grow weary of the Greater Good."

Xena absorbed her lover's words. "We'll talk, Gabrielle. I'm going to check on Tanya, see if she's alright."

The blonde bard gave a nod of acceptance.

Tanya ran her dampen hands through her reddish brown hair, replaying Jargas death over in her head. Xena trailed the stream to stand in front of the troubled woman.

"Tanya, how are you holding up?"

Light brown eyes tilted upwards. "I... I've never seen a person die. I have never seen a dead body in my life."

"I know how you feel. It's not easy seeing death, whether it's by illness, or a blade. This is what your father, Marmax was trying to warn and protect you from." Xena explained.

"Some people say, that you are a goddess of death, not even Celesta could touch your skills in taking lives. They say, your presence can wear off on others, influencing them to be effective killers as well." Tanya said.

Xena's expression became disgruntled. "Do you believe that I cause death and destruction?"

Tanya's head bent down again. Xena captured the younger woman's shaken hands tenderly within her own.

Xena started to say kindly. "Life can be difficult at times, no matter if you try to live it out peacefully, or as a warrior. Sooner or later, this would have happened. Those guys you decided to lie to and join with, set you on a path that would have ultimately led you to killing, or being killed once they discovered your deception. Your decision to manipulate forced my friend and partner, to take a life. Drawing blood isn't easy for everyone. Some find it hard to deal with, becoming traumatized by it. Others like, Gabrielle, abhors killing, but learns to cope with it. Very few, thinks nothing of it at all. Kill, or be killed, that is the Way of the Warrior."

Xena reflected on the wise teachings of the Hindu god, Krishna.

Tanya appeared to had retreated into her own world. She viewed the scenery they were in. The stream seem to run out into an unknown river, and was deeper than normal streamlets. The trees branches in the area were half bare, but some showed renewed leaves, strengthen by the season of rebirth.

"This clearing is splendid." Tanya claimed.

Xena was getting annoyed, thinking that the auburn haired woman was ignoring her. "Do you understand what I had averred to you?"

"Yes." Tanya replied bringing her eyes to Xena's. "But you misunderstood me."

Xena was bemused. "What?"

Gabrielle walked over to the pair, standing beside her lover in the stream.

"What have you meant than, Tanya?" Xena was askance.

"You taught her, right?" Tanya pointed to Gabrielle.

"Yes. Gabrielle had other teachers as well." Xena answered.

"Still, you would be creditable for most of her skills." Tanya countered.

"What is this all about?" the bard butted in.

"The great Warrior Princess trained you, and I was hoping that..."

"That?" Xena encouraged.

"Please." Tanya threw herself into the water on her knees before the tall woman. "You have to take me with you. Teach me everything you know. I can cook, I've learned to navigate by using the stars. I can be invaluable to you. Please, take me with you, you can't leave me here."

The two soul mates glanced at each other, both aware that some of those exact words came from a young girl from Potidaea, almost twenty-seven years ago.

Xena lifted Tanya onto her feet. "I already have a partner and I'm not looking for a replacement."

Tanya was desperate. "I could travel with both of you. I have my own horse."

"No." Xena said.

"At least take in consideration that I am a warrior, not a bard. After I learn from you, I would become better than her, I know it. You just have to give me a chance." Tanya proclaimed rashly.

"You need to calm down Tanya, you're being disrespectful." Gabrielle stated in growing anger.

Xena shoved Tanya down, her body landing halfway on the grass and the stream.

"Already you have proved that, my love, is a far better companion than you. You haven't thanked Gabrielle for saving your life, but instead, try to insult her. You belied your true identity, pining for mines as, Destroyer of Nations. Inveighing a band of bandits to do ill actions to others. You have to own up to the responsibilities of your decisions." Xena growled.

Tanya sat up on her elbows while Xena moved to stand over top of her, her contralto voice snarling. "I won't teach you anything, Tanya. We will not be taking you with us either. Your choices are to return home, or begin your trek in this world and seek out your own destiny, because it's not with me, or Gabrielle."

Xena crossed over Tanya to go back to her palomino.

Tanya watched Xena walk away, thinking. 'She said, my love. My love, what did she mean by that?'

She then looked at the small woman in question, who held her hand out to offer assistance.

Gabrielle helped Tanya to stand. "Your father, Marmax, use to be a warmonger, before Xena changed his views about life and war. He would be very disappointed in you."

"I don't need your ridicule." Tanya said discontented.

The petite amazon placed her left hand on the younger woman's arm. "I'm not trying to antagonize you. Your actions would be below your father's expectations right now, but you have an opportunity to turn that around and become something of yourself. To make your father proud."

Tanya head fell down in shame for what felt like the umpteenth time. 'If you only knew.' she thought morosely.

When Gabrielle withdrew her hand, Tanya spied the silver ring on her finger.

Gabrielle headed towards Xena when she heard Tanya call out.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Not only for saving my life, but also, for the chat."

The bard stopped her footfalls. "I know, you're welcome."

"Forgive me for my words directed at you. You both are my heroes, it just, Xena's my idol?"

Gabrielle had to relate. "She's mines as well."

Next, Gabrielle was about to resume her footing.

"Are you married, Gabrielle?" Tanya inquired.

The short haired blonde thought of Perdicus for a split second, before her ratiocination shifted to Xena.

She turned slightly, smiling greatly. "Not yet."

After that, Gabrielle made her way to her future wife.

"More than just Xena's bard." Tanya uttered to herself, alone.

**To Becontinued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with the tale, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny. This is chapter 4, so if you haven't read the other chapters of both stories, you should do so if you want. No. I command that you do sooooooooo. I really don't want anyone rubbing their heads about the full plot. A special thanks to my readers (psst, keep the comments coming. This bard loves to be fed.) **:-) **

**Xena and Gabrielle, **

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 4: Ruined Paradise**

Xena quickly finished brushing Argo down and checked her horseshoes for wear when her young lover came up to her.

"You handled that well." Gabrielle announced.

"Hopefully she'll get it together." The raven haired warrior tossed the bard her boots. "You was amazing today, Gabrielle. You kicked ass and saved a life."

Gabrielle sat down, but hesitated putting her foot ware back on. "I took a life today, Xena."

"I thought you were accepting your path as a warrior?"

Gabrielle let the boots slip from her grip. "I did... I do embrace it, but it gets difficult for me occasionally."

"Gabrielle-"

"Xena." Tanya interrupted without knowing.

She was saddled atop her dark brown horse. "I am on my way to Scione, maybe I'll hitch a boat back to Thessaly. Either there, or some place else."

"We're heading in, Ow." Gabrielle was cut off with a pinch to her shoulder from Xena.

Tanya was sadden that the light and dark duo's destination wouldn't be disclosed.

"I am forever grateful to have met you two, and in y'all debt."

"You're most welcome, Tanya. May your travels be safe and full of kind wonders." Gabrielle replied.

"Safe ventures." Xena said casually.

Tanya pulled the reigns to get her horse in motion.

When she moved pass them, she said. "I know you told me to find my own destiny, Xena, but I'm sure our paths will meet again."

And with that, Tanya trotted off.

"Xena." Gabrielle mildly smacked her arm. "Why didn't you want me telling Tanya, we were going to Scione?"

"She'll be fine. Besides, this is a good place as any for us to talk, now that we're by ourselves." The Warrior Princess moved closer to Gabrielle, grinning seductively. "Don't you want to talk, hmm?"

She pushed Gabrielle's boots aside, lowering herself in between the amazon's legs. "Forget about putting those on. Matter of fact." Xena began lugging at the straps of the blonde's halter top. "Let's get naked and jump back into the water."

"You didn't have to be so mean to her, Xena. Tanya is young and learning herself."

"She can learn herself somewhere away from us." Xena responded, her hands trying to peel the scarlet top off.

Gabrielle jerked from Xena, and walked over to her pack on Argo. Taking out the item she wanted to give to her soul mate, Gabrielle made her steps back towards Xena. Noting the worried expression on her lover's face, Gabrielle wanted to relieve her by slowly removing her red halter, the ornate silver belt and skirt, completely erasing the concerned look.

Indeed, Xena was fully allured by the now naked amazon as she watched her relax deeper in the stream. Xena hastily unclothed and joined her lover.

"What do you want to chat about?" Gabrielle implored, fighting back the battle lust.

"Are you alright? About earlier?"

"No, I'm not. Will you make it better?" Gabrielle asked closing the remaining space to Xena's sexy body.

"How can I?"

"Taking a life is still something I am learning to deal with. I don't like it and who knows, maybe later in our lives, we can stop the bloodshed. The Greater Good is draining me. I just want to be with you, Xena. You are my family, my home. I love you." the bard proclaimed.

"I love you too, sweetheart, and that's what I wanted to speak with you about when we got to Scione." Xena tried to hold Gabrielle's hands, but the younger woman encircled them around her back.

'That's even better.' the blue eyed woman thought as Gabrielle's body pressed firmly with her's.

"When we reach Scione, we will go wherever you choose." Xena told her.

"Seriously Xena, the choice is mine?" Gabrielle was taken aback.

"I wanted to surprise you, but like I said, what better place than here and now."

Gabrielle kissed Xena's breast lightly. "You have been full of surprises lately. You astound me. Who are you and what have you done with the real, Xena?"

Xena chuckled. "I can still be a tad gloomy and impassive, but the woman that always tried to discard you, is gone. You are the best thing to have ever happen in my life, and I am going to show you how much you mean to me. As long as breath course through my body, I will treat you as my Queen, the true ruler of my heart."

Next, their lips came together in a calm kiss, before becoming a storm of tongues fighting for dominance. Gabrielle was on the verge of losing grip of the small gift, by her need to touch every part of Xena's skin.

"Xena wait. Wait."

"What is it?" Xena questioned as her wet pink muscle sucked the spot on Gabrielle's neck.

A hard moan shot out from her throat, but Gabrielle fought to regain control.

"I... Mmm... I wanted to... Aw, yes Xena... Be more romantic when... Mmm, oouuuh... I asked you to... Marry me." the nude amazon groaned the words barely.

Xena's tongue made its trail back into Gabrielle mouth before teasing. "We done this already. I asked you, remember?"

Gabrielle unwrapped her arms from Xena, causing the tall warrior to be puzzled.

"Just say yes." Gabrielle demanded.

"Yes, Gabrielle. I will marry you." Xena did what was commanded of her.

Gabrielle grasped Xena's left hand and placed the gold ring on her index finger.

"Whoa, what's this? Where did you-"

The bard ceased her future wife tirade with a kiss.

"You are my world Xena. We have been through a lot, some events I don't care to remember." she repeated what Xena had said to her a fortnight ago. "Doing the times when you absolutely needed me, I have not been my best. I have failed you sometimes as well. But I swear to you, Xena, from now till the end of my life, I'll be faithful to you and you alone. I'll never put another above you. I will never abandon you. I'll be your's forever." Gabrielle declared bringing tears of joy to Xena's eyes.

"Xena, don't cry. You'll make me cry too."

"I... You didn't have to get me anything Gabrielle, but thank you." she said.

Xena inspected the golden circlet and read the words inscribed on it. "My Soul, My Life. Oh, Gabrielle where did you get this? It must've cost you a lot of dinars." Xena inquired.

If the question wasn't asked in such a jubilant manner, Gabrielle would've found herself getting miffed.

"It haven't cost me a lot of money. It cost us, a lot of money. What mines is yours now, and vice versa." the amazon retorted with a gleam of mischief in her greenish blue eyes. "It doesn't have any gems in it like the one you gave me. I hope that's alright."

"It's perfect the way it is. Plain is good, you know I'm not a show off." Xena replied.

Gabrielle giggled, amazed that her soul mate would make such a comment.

"Okay. Maybe I'm a bit showy, but that's because, I have many-"

"Skills." Gabrielle finished the famous phrase. "You should hope and pray, I'll never get tired of hearing you say that."

Xena scooped the petite blonde up, allowing Gabrielle to wrap her legs around Xena's waist.

"You should hope and pray that I'll get tired of saying it." Xena shot back in advance of her lips sharing a searing kiss on Gabrielle's.

Their mouths opened and joined as one, passionately tasting each other. Xena slowly grind Gabrielle's clit against her stomach. The friction was incredible, and it genuinely gave the bard something to write about later in her scrolls.

With her feet no longer touching the bottom of the stream, Gabrielle kept her eyes locked on Xena's, imagining her as a sea goddess, sprung from the depths to take her. In her imagined mind, the Warrior Princess was one with the water that engulfed them and was taking her body to pleasurable heights, that no one has never done, nor ever would do.

Xena's speed picked up slightly and Gabrielle knew she wouldn't last long.

"Xena." she moaned. "It feels too intense, I'm not going to be able to hold out much longer."

"Then you shouldn't, Gabrielle." Xena replied without interrupting the rhythm.

"But I want to make love to you also." Gabrielle moaned.

"You're making love to me right now. Giving you pleasure, brings me satisfaction too."

That was the last Gabrielle heard of Xena's husky tone, before the raven haired beauty began once again sucking and biting her neck and her pale pinkish nipples. Gabrielle was in a form of paradise, somewhere in the back of her head, she heard somebody moaning real loudly and wished that they would shut up, but realized that it was her voice the whole time. Instead of muffling down, her tune got louder.

"Xena!" Gabrielle yelled when her orgasm hit.

Her hands wanted to be everywhere on Xena's body, but could only find support cuffed underneath the strong woman's arms and upper back.

Xena continued licking Gabrielle's throat while carrying her into the deepest body of the stream, towards a stone boulder that was in the water. There she laid the delirious amazon on top of it and immediately feasted on the bard's nether lips.

Again, Gabrielle screamed aloud as Xena's tongue delicately licked her sex. She tried to lift her head up, to gaze at her future spouse going down on her, but her strength was fading fast. So she laid back, closed her eyes, and felt the wonderful things Xena was doing to her.

A tongue passed over her engorged clitoris, then two digits entered into her, pumping in and out of her. Xena ascended Gabrielle's lithe body, her fingers still busy at their task.

"Gabrielle." Xena called, caressing the side of the amazon's fair face.

Gabrielle opened her hooded eyes, her mouth still making exotic sounds.

"Watch me, can you do that?"

"Mmm, yes."

Their tongues met again as the fingers inside Gabrielle's sex plunged deeper and faster, easily accepted by the silky wetness that flowed. Gabrielle looked on at Xena's white teeth and pink tongue, bite and lick the harden crest of her breast. Her hands intertwist in Xena's hair, while Xena nipped at her chest, before descending once more to her soaked core.

This time Gabrielle remained a spectator, taking in the sight of Xena's mouth moving in unison with her invading fingers. Her grip tighten when Xena started to moan while sucking and stroking her pussy.

Gabrielle couldn't take it any longer. She cried out her soul mate's name as she came again, this time, into Xena's accommodating mouth.

After Xena was done licking the bard clean, she gently pulled the amazon into her arms and kissed her softly. Gabrielle was well sated, she wasn't sure she could reciprocate the same treatment to her lover, even if the warrior begged her.

'No, nothing could keep me away if she pleaded with me.' she mused in a haze.

"So, I see you're spent." Xena jest.

"Give me a moment. Or several. I will be back in top form, you'll see."

Xena glimpsed at the sun. "A few hours before nightfall, that will be plenty of time for you to rest."

Gabrielle stifled a yawn. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. In all the excitement of the day, we still hadn't eaten. So, I'm going to catch us some fish, cook 'em, and feed ya. I told you, I'm treating you like my Queen."

Gabrielle snickered as she wrapped her legs around Xena. "That's great and all. Just don't burn the fish, I like my food edible."

Xena headed towards shore with the bard in tow when she retorted. "Gabrielle please. I have many skills."

Some time later, after a small rest, a nice quiet meal, and freshen up, Gabrielle was contented holding onto Xena, making their way to the port of Scione. She ecstatically looked forward to reaching the harbor, so she could repay her blue eyed soul mate, for the love making they had shared.

"Have you decided on where we will spend our wedding and honeymoon?" Xena questioned.

"Um, actually, my mind is on another thought."

"Seems I've left an impression." Xena boasted.

"You're a good lay." Gabrielle teased. "I'm not sure where I want us to go, I'm still excited about becoming your wife and I can't wait to taste you tonight."

"Turn abouts, are fair play, I guess." Xena said while steering Argo onward. "You have to have some idea. I would like to know before we get to the docks."

Silence stilled the air as Gabrielle tried to think of a destination. She had the whole of Greece in mind. Athens, Attica, Acarnania, Corcyra. She then thought about going some place in the Peloponnese. Sparta, Phocis, Arcadia, Thasos, Epidamnus.

All of a sudden, the bard wasn't certain that she wanted to stay in Grecian lands.

'Maybe, some sights abroad. Rome is certainly out. The Celtic lands, naw, to close to Britannia. Crete could be alright. No, still Grecian.'

Xena, in an effort to jolt Gabrielle's thought process, added. "Sex can't be the main activity going on in that head of yours. If you want, and keep in mind, this is completely up to you. We could go to the Amazons, check up on them, make a home there. You could even claim your rightful place as Queen, and we can have an Amazon Bonding."

The Warrior Princess had such a high cheerful tone, until she felt Gabrielle's arms grip her sides more tightly.

The blonde amazon haven't seen her Amazon sisters since their last great battle against, Bellerophon. To Helicon and back, it was hell for everyone including Gabrielle, if not more. The courageous amazon had usurped leadership from Varia, the former Supreme Amazon Queen, after her failed attempt on Gabrielle's life.

Gabrielle knew that Varia has begun facing charges for betraying the united tribe, by trying to murder a fellow queen. When they returned to Amazonia, Gabrielle left Cyane IV as Regent, an opposite act comparing to the entire tribe that wished for her to stay and rule. Sadly she just couldn't.

"You don't want to rejoin the Amazons?" Xena asked.

"No." Gabrielle responded. "Not yet. Probably in the future, if a peaceful, tranquil life gets boring."

Xena was thrown off by Gabrielle's response. "Are you sure?"

"By joining the Amazon Nation, we'll be participating in one war or another."

Xena scoffed. "There will always be battles, Gabrielle."

"I thought it was my choice, Xena." Gabrielle was getting irritated.

"It is."

"It's not just war that concerns me. Being with the Amazons, there's always some type of contention. I want peace. We deserve some peace."

"Forgive me, Gabrielle." Xena said in chagrin. Just like that, she tried forcing her will on her beloved.

The bard's lips pecked Xena's shoulder. "All is fine. I know troubles are always capable of occurring anytime, anywhere, but I don't want to be in a predicament where fights are common, and we don't have a choice." she explained.

"And the Greater Good?" Xena wondered aloud.

Gabrielle took a moment to ponder the inquiry. "I don't mind helping others... Just not for a very long time."

Xena laughed, causing Gabrielle to join in.

"Point taking, I will not forget it. Hmm, how about Egypt?"

Gabrielle was ruminating on the subject.

"We'll get married, then me and you will have a very romantic time there. No Greater Good, no problems, only us. I promise." Xena said.

"Okay, but I'll hold you to your word." Gabrielle agreed.

"I swear, it'll exceed any expectations you'll have. It will be paradise."

The blonde dwelled on the sexual acts Xena and Antony partook in. How envious she was of the roman, as he had strawberries and honey, kissed and licked off his lips. The memory didn't make Gabrielle jealous now, Antony was dead, Xena was her's. Instead, the memories enliven Gabrielle to great extents.

Her mouth absorbed the skin below her soul mate's ear. "Do you know how much I want you right now?" she stated before her aperture initiated a suction motion.

Xena brought Argo II to a cessation in her ambling. Whirling in her seat on the palomino, Xena captured Gabrielle's tongue in a deep kiss. She knew her petite lover was still under the influence of battle lust, and Xena loved it when they had sex, with the bard being dominate.

Gabrielle and Xena moaned together as their souls became one. Gabrielle's small hands felt all over Xena's body, touching every inch of flesh that were available, preceeding to unbuckle the warrior's clasps on her armor, unsuccessfully, just as Xena commenced pulling the straps on Gabrielle's top down, to grasp her breast.

They were so enthused with each other, until a distant noise caught both their attentions.

Ceasing their exertions at the same time. "You heard that?" Xena and Gabrielle asked in sync.

Xena twirled back in front of the saddle grabbing the reigns.

'Please. Not a ruined paradise.' Gabrielle feared pulling her top back up to cover her exposed chest.

"Yay!" Xena shouted.

There was no need in being silent. The sun was slowly sinking from the sky, and whoever, or whatever caused Xena to feel that something was amiss, would be standing directly in her pathway.

After finally looping the bend, she pulled Argo to a grinding halt, beholding three warriors in different colored armor. Each with elaborate helmets that covered their heads and face, making it impossible to see their identity.

Xena instantly pegged them to be, Samurai, as she observed their accessories of Japa armor and weapons. One wore sunfire yellow armor with an assortment of blades circling his hip, a wakizashi, a tachi, and tanto. Another was wearing blue armor, a naginata on his back, and a tanto. The last was dawned in purple armor, a kusarigama chained to his left side, as well as a tanto.

They all was equipped with a sword Xena swore she would never see again.

Katanas.

"All of you, reveal yourselves. Is it a fight you all want?" Xena questioned while getting off of her mare, with Gabrielle following suit.

"No." A foreign, accented voice replied.

The three Samurai shifted aside to allow a man dressed as a monk and armed with a staff to step forward.

"Are you Xena Sama, The Warrior Princess?"

"Who wants to know?" the amazon asked.

The monk bowed in respect. "My name is, Kenji. We'd traveled all the way from the land of the Rising Sun, to seek her out. We are in a perilous situation, and need her aid. She said, we would find her here in Greek lands."

Xena was curious. "Who sent you for me?"

"Akemi." came the answer.

Gabrielle felt Xena's discomfort with the avowal of the name.

"Xena. What's wrong?" she asked cautiously.

A disenchanted expression was replaced with a stoic one as Xena affirmed.

"Akemi."

**To Becontinued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny. If you have not read the chapters from both tales preceding this one, please do so. It's probably a hassle to read awesome stories that has an interlacing plot, but it'll pay off in the end. Believe me, I have spoken. **;-) **

**Xena and Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 5: Bushido Code**

The sun had already exchanged places with the moon as five horses made their expedition to the seaport of Scione.

Xena was assiduous of everything in front of her while she and Gabrielle trailed behind, from the four horses, the three Samurai, to Kenji, the monk who brought about this mission. The Warrior Princess thought of her impending return to Japa, the country she'd never wanted to go to again. A location that filled her with so much strife, sadness and failure. All from one person.

'Akemi.'

A tap on her arm temporarily suspended her assiduity.

"Xena, what's going on, you seem tense?" Gabrielle asked.

"Not now, Gabrielle."

The bard wouldn't relent. "Should we be following these guys, when it could be a set up to ensnare us? And who is, Akemi?"

"Gabrielle." Xena said in an ominous tone, she had enough. "How about you try focusing on our surroundings so that we won't get trapped, and stop with all the damn questions."

Gabrielle didn't understand her soul mate's attitude towards her. Things were peaceful between them since the proposal in Thebes. They talked, shared their feelings and made love more. They had sex like they were already newly weds, even earlier in the afternoon of today, and not so long ago was about to do it again.

The blonde amazon removed her left hand off of Xena's waist to inspect her silver ring.

'Maybe I have made a mistake.' she wondered sadly.

Gabrielle believed that her and Xena's love would blossom, but now she feared it would only be that way when Xena was happy and not facing any type of adversity. The bard wasn't positive she could put up with a fickle wife. No matter how dire the situation, communication should always be the key in providing a strong relationship.

Still, Gabrielle did what she was told, tuning herself to the area while remaining quiet.

After silencing her young lover, Xena continued her concentration. The steeds that belong to the Samurai, wore matching armor as its rider. Kenji's horse was the only one that was bare. It had nothing on it, not even a saddle.

'Fits his position as a monk perfectly.' Xena summed.

The dark haired woman was prepared for a double crossing. Anyone who would dare use the name of Akemi had to know of not just her's, but her entire family's fate. To presume she was alive wasn't only foolish, it was impossible.

By the time they had arrived at Scione, it was midnight. Gabrielle looked at all the closed trader markets and merchant shops. If they had made it early, she wouldn't have missed her chance to haggle with them, then she realized that she had little money. The bard spent almost all of it on Xena's bonding ring. She avoided that small detail with Xena in the stream, yet knew she would have to break the news to her lover soon that they were near dinar-less.

Not long after entering the port, the six armed riders approached a giant warship. Xena, once being a pirate of the seas herself, admired the gigantic ship. However, her uneasiness hadn't rescinded, she remained cautious as Kenji, and the others dismounted their horses.

"When we are boarded, I will take your horse to the stables, and someone will show you two to the quarters you'll be staying in until we reach Japa. The Shogun will probably speak with you at first light tomorrow, if not tonight." Kenji explained.

Next, the monk walked over to take Argo's bridle, but Xena pulled her mare away from his grasp.

"What is the meaning of this, Xena Sama? Are you to help us, or not?"

"Tell me, Kenji." Xena stated as she grabbed the monk's robe, yanking him off his feet, and making him drop his staff.

'What are you doing, Xena?' Gabrielle thought, but kept silent.

The Samurai adorned in the sunfire armor went for his wakizaski.

"No." Kenji threw up his hand to halt the Samurai's actions, in advance of addressing Xena. "What is it that you wish to know?"

"Me and you both know, Akemi couldn't have sent you to me. So you better start telling me the truth, before everyone here has a really bad night."

"I am not lying to you Xena Sama. Akemi did send us for you." the bald foreigner replied.

"And she sent you directly to me. Uh uh. How did you know exactly where I would be? Greece is an enormous place for one individual." Xena said, her grip tighten.

"Akemi told me not to venture as far as the Corinthian sea. So we were lucky to land here in Scione, when a young woman pointed your direction out after we debarked our ship. She said that you were last seen in the middle of here and Mende." Kenji answered.

'Must've been Tanya.' Xena deduced.

Then she lifted the poor monk closer to her face. "I believe half your story, but I'm still having a hard time accepting that a ghost asked for my help."

'A ghost?' the bard questioned internally.

"I swear by the sun Kami, Amaterasu, it's all truth. If you don't help us, the daemon, Yodoshi will consume more souls. He'll ravage all of Japa."

Anger spread across Xena's features.

"They're all dead!" she shouted, throwing the monk to the ground hard.

Fortunately, no bones was broken on Kenji and he was free from pain, he pondered how much longer though as Xena got off her horse, unleashing her blade.

"I seen them die. With my own two eyes." she growled.

The three Samurai felt they couldn't tolerate anymore of Xena's disrespect for Kenji, and unsheathed their katanas in a synchronous fashion. Gabrielle jumped off Argo II to draw her twin sais, ready to engage the armored warriors.

Next, the short haired blonde saw the silhouette of a person standing at the top of the ramp that was connected to the warship.

"Enough!" the aged sounding voice yelled.

Instantly, the three Samurai looked upon the figure atop the ship, sheathed their weapons and bowed. Kenji picked himself off the ground to do so as well.

Xena just glared at the man who started to make his decline down the ramp. Gabrielle kept her sais trained on the shadowy figure, even when the moonlight illuminated him.

He was covered in a helmet and armor also. His was crimson red with two katanas and a tanto equipped to both sides of his hips.

"We came a long way to find you, Warrior Princess. Surely we deserve better honor and respect." the man spoke.

From his voice alone, Xena determined that he was old, and from the way he commanded the others, he was either a Daimyo, or a Shogun. She on the other hand, didn't give a damn.

"I want answers." she pointed to Kenji with her sword. "This monk claims to have seen a dead woman. Not only that, he also says a dead man is absorbing souls. Tell me why should I step foot onto your ship? Make me believe these dubious fascinations."

The red armored warrior moved closer. "Kenji, tell her everything."

"Yes, Shogun."

'So this is the Shogun.' Xena mused with her sword still on the monk.

Kenji dusted himself clean from the dirt. "Me and my friend, Gaija are from the Shinto valley. We are monks that honor the great Kami of the celestial sun, Amaterasu. All of Shinto is under the feudal protection of the Shogun, Harukata."

"That would be you?" Xena wanted to be sure cutting in Kenji's story.

Harukata nodded, then said. "Resume, Kenji."

"While we were traveling from the Asakura Shrine to get back to the Imperial Palace, we were caught in a drenching rainstorm when Gaija noticed a tea garden. The circumscription of it outlined a surreal tea house. It was strange, because we haven't seen it coming to the Asakura. Gaija became perturb by it and decided that we needed shelter from the rain. I advised him that we should keep to our journey home."

Kenji breathed in deeply to steady his nerves. "It was real dark, and to be honest, I was discombobulated about the miraculous appearance of the garden tea house. It was all unnatural to me. Gaija ignored my words. He ran into the tea house and I reluctantly followed after him. Inside were three geishas, one was playing a beautiful melody from a shamisen, the other two were naked in a huge tub filled with water and lily pods. They asked for us to join them, but I held steadfast in my faith as a monk. Gaija, did not."

Kenji paused, his facial expression was sadden.

Xena was losing her patience. "I could care less about a monk's renouncement of his belief. Get on with your tale."

Gabrielle felt that Xena was being too hard on Kenji whom had lost a fellow companion so easily to worldly vices.

"Gaija stripped off his robes and garments, and went in the water. As they were frolicking, I turned my attention on the young woman playing the lovely tune. Suddenly she stopped, telling me that I was a good man and should leave. Before I could remonstrate, she pushed me out the back door. Still, I would not leave Gaija. I wish I had." Kenji admitted.

'He must have saw something awful.' the petite amazon assumed lowering her weapons.

She glanced at Xena, and could see that the stoic warrior showed no emotion.

"A strong gust of wind blew the front door of the tea house open. I thought it was from the storm, but then I seen a super size snake with the head of a deformed man enter. The scene was horrible, but I was scared stiff, and I watched it all happen. The geishas gather themselves collectively to the side wall, as the snake body transformed into some kind of daemon. I could hear and see Gaija screaming, but my mind wouldn't allow my muscles to react. The daemon blew out an icy wind that froze the water and Gaija. After that, the evil daemon inhaled greatly and sucked Gaija's soul right out of his body. I could see his soul, fighting to hang on to the ethers of the human plane, before being swallowed up by that monster." Kenji described while a tear fell from his eye at the memory.

"When the daemon's evil glare came upon me, it was then my feet carried me away from the demonic tea house. The storm was at its worse, and I fell into a pond. Once I climbed out, I gazed up at the same geisha that played the shamisen and tried to warn me. She told me that I needn't fear her, saying I had a compassionate heart, and that is why she spared me from suffering the same fate as my friend. She revealed to me that the daemon who took Gaija's soul was, Yodoshi, Lord of the Darklands, and that her and others were forced to seduce souls for him to entrap. Giving me a katana, she bid me to go west, far beyond the setting sun. There I would find Xena, the Warrior Princess." Kenji finished.

Xena made a show of clapping her hands in mock applause. "Brilliant fable. But Akemi, Yodoshi and her whole family tree is dead. I will no longer listen anymore to non sense."

Xena spun on her feet to saddle Argo, when Harukata asked. "You don't trust the word of a monk? How about the word of a Samurai?"

Xena knew that the Samurai was bound by a Bushido code of honor. Still, on the contrary, every Samurai didn't live by it the way they should, and she had been tricked before.

"I don't trust anybody." she announced.

"Will you trust this?" the Shogun replied as he unsheathed one of the katanas, stabbing it into the dirt.

"It can't be?" the bronze skin warrior whispered.

Xena walked towards the Japa sword to analyze it, hoping that her eyes was deceiving her. It was the same grand katana that Akemi had coax her into locating all those years ago.

"It is, Xena. Yodoshi is growing powerful everyday. Soon he will attack Higuchi, after that, Shinto. Then all of Japa. Akemi is not the sole soul that needs your aid. Many do, with me being one of them. Me and my Samurai can not handle Yodoshi by ourselves. If you come with us, you'll have my word as a Shogun Samurai that you and every possession you bring along will be under my protection. No harm will come to it." Harukata swore.

Xena couldn't comprehend these events. How was it possible? Akemi was dead, she was more than sure of it. She remembered the anguish of watching her ashes being scattered by the unforgivable, heartless chilly breeze.

"Xena." the Shogun began as he put his hand on her shoulder. "It is my destiny to destroy Yodoshi, but I can not do it alone. I am in need of your assistance. Please."

Xena's steely gaze fell on his face that was covered by his decorative helmet. She was hopeful that he would honor the art of Bushido. And secretly, she desperately wanted to see Akemi again.

With a nod of her head she acceded.

A hidden smile sprouted on Harukata's lips. "We will be forever indebted to you, thank you. Forgive an old soul for I am tired. We will make formal introductions at first light. Kenji will stable your horse for you."

The Shogun turned his back and while walking forward to the ramp, said. "Keep the katana Xena. Akemi meant for you to have it."

Next, he quietly spoke with the Samurai in the blue armor, in advance of his and the other two Samurai's ascension up to the deck of the warship.

"Thank you Xena Sama, and you also." Kenji showed gratitude to the Warrior Princess as well as Gabrielle.

Picking up his staff in one hand, and taking Argo's bridle in the other, the monk led her up the ramp. After reaching the top, he gave a shrill whistle for the four other steeds to follow. The blue armored Samurai remained.

Gabrielle sheathed her sais as Xena did the same with her sword.

"Wow. I am glad we got through that without a scuffle. Well, except for Kenji." the bard said, not knowing what else to say about what just occurred.

"Yea." Xena gave a short remark.

Gabrielle looked in the lone Samurai direction. "What's up with him?"

"Let's find out." the dark haired woman replied while she pulled the grand katana out of the ground.

When the duo gotten closer to him, he inclined his head slightly. "My name is, Zicalus. I am to escort you both to the cabin you'll be lodging."

Blue orbs eyed the Samurai up and down before she walked up the gradient. Zicalus gazed upon her as the Warrior Princess ascended, until a voice called his attention.

"Thank you, Zicalus. My name's, Gabrielle."

Even though it was dark, he could see the pretty smile and the greenish blue irises that sparkled.

"Please to meet you, Gabrielle San." he responded.

"Lets go!" Xena commanded.

They both started walking the slope when Zicalus whispered. "Kinda bossy, isn't she."

Gabrielle smiled. "You have no idea."

The blonde amazon noted that the Samurai's accent wasn't quite opulent like Kenji's, or Harukata's. She imagined what his appearance would look like under the helmet as she took steps beside him.

**{X&G}**

They were lodged three tiers below deck. Their quarters were nice, especially when compared to the outdoors. The wooden floorboards could be refurnished, if not painted over, but with that aside the cabin had sufficient amount of space for Xena and Gabrielle. Before Zicalus' departure, he did offer to put the bard up in her own room, but she declined the propound proposal.

The cot was a bit smaller than she'd liked, but it would suffice for what she had plans to do on it with her soul mate.

'Now if only I could get her on here with me.' Gabrielle thought.

Since they'd occupied the cabin, Xena took off her scabbard, along with her weapons, and sat on the floor with the grand katana in front of her to meditate, while Gabrielle removed her sais and boots to relax on the cot. That was almost a hour ago, with neither of them speaking doing that time.

A light knock was heard on their door, breaking Xena's focus to her agitation and to Gabrielle's delight.

The petite blonde opened it. "Hello, Kenji."

"I know that it is late, but I just wanted to ask did you, or Xena Sama need anything?"

"Thanks, but we're okay for now-"

"Wait." Xena interjected getting to her feet, her footfalls moving towards them. "Where's my horse?"

"In the stables, on the bottom fourth tier." Kenji answered. He then wanted to put her mind at ease by adding. "She is being well taken care of, Xena Sama."

"I'll be the judge of that myself." she retorted.

Kenji lingered a little longer, not knowing what to do next.

"You can leave now." Xena snapped.

Kenji quickly bowed and just as fast, closed the cabin's door.

"Xena." Gabrielle's eyes stared at her lover in disappointment, before she left out the room to follow after the monk.

"Kenji."

He turned around to face her. "Have you changed your mind about wanting something?"

"No. I wanted to apologize for my lov-" Gabrielle caught herself. "For Xena's behavior. She's dealing with a lot."

"She is making a monumental sacrifice."

"Yes she is." Gabrielle agreed, thinking about their shelved wedding and honeymoon. "Still, bad manners are bad manners, and I'm sorry you're catching most of it."

"All will be right. I accept your apology on her behalf." he replied.

Gabrielle smiled, then went on to say. "I'm also sorry for your lost friend, Gaija. Some people believe in something greater than themselves, but succumb to foibles. Trust me, I know first hand. So don't think any less of him."

The bard was ruminating on her own learnings with Eli. Accepting the Way of Love, only to throw it all away to save Xena's life from the Romans. She haven't just pushed it to the side temporarily, she cast it away permanently after being resurrected.

Kenji really looked at the young woman and was a shamed that he didn't bother to learn her name. "You are very generous to have shared that with me, and must be very wise to be a companion of Xena Sama. Pardon me for not asking sooner, but what is your name?"

"It's, Gabrielle." she said offering her hand out.

The monk happily shook the proffered hand in his. "Thank you, Gabrielle San."

"You are welcome." the blonde said withdrawing her hand.

"Gabrielle."

The amazon turned her head to see Xena standing in their shared entryway, with a masked expression.

"Coming, Xena. Goodnight, Kenji."

"Night, Gabrielle San." he exchanged, watching the red scarlet clad woman saunter into the room.

Finally his eyes connected with Xena's, and it chilled him to the bone. The monk wasn't entirely positive what he was feeling when the Warrior Princess slammed the door, but if he was a betting man, it would be on relief.

**To Becontinued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This tale is tied in with, The Conqueror and Ri, A Twist of Destiny. If you haven't read the previous chapters leading up to this one, you should do so. It has come to my attention that some of my readers (yes that would, or could be you if you decide to stay) have chose not to read both stories. It would be in your best interest, as well as mine if you begun to do so. The plot will thicken... Very soon, muhahaha. For those of you that are following closely on said stories, I am proud of you, and would love to give you all a cookie, but sadly I ate them all :-(. A profound shout out to the bard, Silvermoonlight. Because of your feedback, you have invigorated me to strive onward and upwards. Forever thankful for your words. Now on with the story. Enjoy.

**Xena and Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 6: Shifting Madness**

The loud bang of their cabin door being closed with force startled Gabrielle. "Xena, what was all that for?"

Xena eyed her sternly. "I don't want you hanging around that monk. The last thing I need is for you to conform and adopt his philosophies."

"Is that a dig of some kind, Xena?" Gabrielle asked becoming agitated.

The dark haired warrior sat crossed legged on the floor again, replying. "You know how you can be. You meet a new person, discover their ways and sooner, or later wind up being absorbed by whatever they said that intrigues you."

Thoughts of Khrafstar, Najara, Aiden, and Eli plagued the bard's mind. All of them had entered her life at convenient times, offering some form of solace in what she was beginning to understand, a destructive world, only to leave scars of their own on her very soul.

"Why are you speaking to me this way?" the young blonde was vexed.

"I have a lot to sort out." Xena said. "I don't want you changing on me again when I'm loving the person that you are."

Gabrielle smiled, her unsettling thoughts diminishing, but her lover missed it as her blue eyes closed so that she could resume her meditation.

Gabrielle moved behind Xena, and started to massage her strong shoulders. "I'm no longer that gullible, nor easily fascinated woman that needed others to guide her. I am who I am today, because of you."

After working out the knots in Xena's muscles, her massage turned into a caress. "You're the one that always believed in me. Had faith in me to get things done, no matter the challenge. You've pushed me to exceed all my limitations."

Bending down to her knees, Gabrielle begun kissing Xena's neck, while her fingers unbuckled the bronze armor, removing it to the side. "Come to bed with me. I know we're not married yet, but allow me to be a wife to you." the petite amazon whispered into the Warrior Princess' ear, before extending her hand over a broad shoulder.

Xena grabbed it, and they both lifted up onto their feet. Gabrielle laid on the cot as Xena took off her boots, before resting beside her.

"I'll help you forget about the stress of tonight." Gabrielle purred, finding Xena's lips with her mouth.

Xena was falling into her younger lover's world, their tongues colliding together in a thorough embrace, untill Gabrielle broke the kiss, saying. "I will aid you in leaving this Akemi non sense behind."

With that admission, the taller woman halted their intimate activity, much to Gabrielle's puzzlement.

"What happened?" she questioned looking at the dissatisfied expression on Xena's face.

"Akemi isn't non sense. None of what has taken place tonight, is balderdash." Xena answered, settling her back on the cot.

Gabrielle curled up against her, placing her head atop Xena's chest feeling confused. "The affairs of Japa disturbs you that bad?"

"Yes. All of this alarms me."

"You trust the Shogun and everything he told us?"

"For now, but I fear there is more to it." Xena admitted.

Greenish blue irises glanced up to sapphire ones. "Should I stay vigilante and on guard?"

"A warrior should always be doing that at all times."

Gabrielle ignored the reprimand and mused. 'So long honeymoon in Egypt. Maybe that's why Xena is irritable. She must be disappointed in going to Japa instead of where we planed.'

Next, she noticed that her stomach wasn't feeling queasy, and that could only mean. "Xena, if you want, we can jump ship. It's not even in motion yet."

"We are still docked, but we aren't going to abandon this mission." Xena replied.

"You owe me big time for this." Gabrielle puffed.

"I'm sorry that we have to postpone our bonding. I just got to know if Akemi is really there."

"And assisting in stopping Yodoshi." Gabrielle added.

"Yea... That too." Xena said in the manner of an afterthought.

The way her soul mate responded sent warning signals inside Gabrielle. She recalled Xena's facial features when Harukata revealed that unique sword. The same sword that was now lying in the middle of the floor.

"Who's Akemi?" the bard questioned again from earlier, only this time a bit timorously.

Xena decided not to be reticent, and answered truthfully. "She was a poet, something like yourself."

That got Gabrielle's full attention. "Akemi, was like me?"

"Not exactly like you. Similar to you, she had a way with words. A wonderful understanding of nature and how to describe it poetical." Xena affirmed. "She told me many of poems. I still can remember some of 'em."

Gabrielle was feeling slightly jaded from hearing this new information from an upbeat Xena. "She... Akemi recited poems to you?"

Xena was lost in her reminiscence. "It was short and sweet. 'Yesterday the moon took lodging on my sleeve. Today I have hope for even the broken hearted stars.' She was truly talking about me."

If Xena was being invidious it was taking effect on Gabrielle, making her more than envious.

Instead she hid it well, wanting to learn more. "So beautiful. To say something like that, she must have liked you very much."

Xena became sad. "The truth is, Gabrielle... She broke my heart."

Gabrielle was internally outraged. 'You said after, Caesar you've never loved another person again, even when you thought you did. You claimed it was me. I broke the shell enclosing your heart! So how could Akemi break a shielded one?'

The petite blonde wouldn't accept that what her soul mate told her in Thebes was a lie. She couldn't.

"I don't comprehend. When did you meet Akemi? It could not have been before Caesar, was it? Is she really a-"

"Gabrielle." Xena interrupted her barrage of inquiries. "Before we reach Japa, I should tell you everything that happened there last time."

The Warrior Princess expelled a breath and then started her tale. "Many years ago, before me and Borias left Chin after Lao 'Ma exiled us from her kingdom, he told me about a young girl who was kidnapped by a warlord there. She'd been taken from a mighty island, even farther east than Chin. The land of the Rising Sun."

'Japa.' Gabrielle thought sardonically.

"We found her being held hostage by a loser named, Kao. Akemi already knew who I was, and she had spirit. A fire I'd never seen in a young woman then. She told Borias and Kao, that I wouldn't let any harm come to her. That she would be my student and I would teach her everything I know."

Xena chuckled softly. "Seems like a lot of young girls I meet have that in common. Wanting me to train them."

Gabrielle put a grin on her face for show. 'I'm nothing like Akemi, nor Tanya for that matter either.' Not forgetting the young warrior who pretended to be the Destroyer of Nations, only to beg Xena to teach her and allow her to travel with them both.

"Akemi prophesied that I'd fall in love with her. I was drawn to her by that prediction. I wanted to tame her and prove her wrong. I offered fifty pieces of gold to buy her, but Kao didn't care for the offer. So I did what I did best doing them days." Xena explained.

"Kill them all." Gabrielle stated.

"Yup. Once we left, all I wanted to do was use her to not only get the ransom from her father, but to also get some kind of toehold in Japa and utilize it to conquer every land between there and Britannia. Akemi was insistent that I would be a great teacher, and if it wasn't for Borias' taunts saying, I couldn't teach a dog how to bark, I probably would've not taught her anything. Instead, I did, and it was brutal at first for her."

"What did you do to Akemi?"

"I damaged her ribs."

Xena answer shocked her young lover.

"I'm not amazed that you can still astonish me by how cruel you could be back then." she confessed.

"Anyway." Xena continued. "Borias broke off from us, reminding me that he was entitled to half the money. When I travelled with Akemi to her island for the ransom, I was to learn that my heart was seeking something else. Akemi had us traversing all over Japa, until we arrived at a gravesite. She told me that we had to receive her grandfather's blessings in order to succeed. I had no clue what she was talking about. When I thought that she was taking me to her father's castle, Akemi was playing me for a fool. I was contemplating killing her there, but when she spoke of a weapon far superior to mines, or any other blade, I became enticed to have it."

"What was this weapon?"

Xena pointed her finger and Gabrielle raised her head to see where she was directing, when her gaze fell on the sword that laid on the floor.

"It's a sacred katana, I always called it the grand katana though. Akemi manipulated me into fighting her father's Sensei in order to obtain it."

Tons of questions were spouting in Gabrielle's brain, so she settled for asking one. "If Akemi was so conniving, why did you fall in love with her?"

"I didn't know it doing the time, and I really craved having the katana. My ambition combined with Akemi's schemes aligned perfectly for her plight. I was the tool she needed." Xena pronounced.

The blonde amazon had various emotions for Akemi, from indifference to plain dislike. Enmity was winning out.

"She sounds like a bitch."

"Gabrielle!" Xena was disapproving of her lover's uncharacteristic language towards a deceased person, let alone Akemi. "You have to discern it from Akemi's angle. I discovered from her that she wasn't kidnapped, her father sold her and she was used like a body slave. Women, as you are aware, doesn't have many rights compared to men. In her country it is worse, unless you are born to a caring father, or married to a devoted husband who have no desire to control you. Other than that, it's a woman's duty to honor and obey."

'She could have lied to you. Besides, what women go through there does not sound so much different than any other place, save for the Amazons.' Gabrielle speculated.

Xena could tell the last part of what Gabrielle was thinking just by looking at her face. "In Japa, women are more disfavored to a male. A father could kill his daughter without any grounds for arrest in almost every area of the country. He could also whore her out if he wants to, causing her shame which is very important to honor. A woman can not gain honor by becoming a warrior of any kind. If she isn't placed in a prestigious position, the best she can hope for to gain some form of reputation, is becoming a geisha."

"Aren't they prostitutes as well?" Gabrielle inquired.

"There are different types, but mostly a geisha is simply an entertainer. She doesn't have to sleep with another person unless she choose to. A geisha can become very popular and amass good wealth, including respect and honor."

Gabrielle always became lured by Xena's knowledge of the world. Laying her head back on Xena, she said. "Finish your story about Akemi."

Picking up where she left off, Xena divulged. "After I defeated them. You can say, murdered the Sensai and his retainer of Samurai, I stole the grand katana. While we were alone, Akemi started reciting more poems of love. I did not want to hear anymore of it, because she was slowly getting to me. She asked me to show her how to do the pinch that I had done on Kao. I told her that it was a sacred trust. She'd agreed, so I taught it to her."

Gabrielle arose once again.

"You knew her for a few weeks and you taught her the pinch?" she was appalled. "Xena, in all the time I have been with you, you've only showed me how to take it off. I can't believe this."

Gabrielle distanced herself from her soul mate, but could only move so far considering the small amount of space on the cot.

"Gabrielle, that was me long ago. I made a terrible mistake teaching Akemi how to do it. She used what I taught her to kill her father, Yodoshi." Xena proclaimed.

"Yodoshi is Akemi's father?" Gabrielle was dumbfounded.

Xena was disconsolate. "That was her plan all along. To learn from me, just to enact revenge against her father."

Gabrielle made her way into Xena's arms. "I'm sorry Akemi mislead you, Xena. Do you think she truly felt anything for you?"

"I'm not sure, but I was deeply in love with her." Xena responded the truth.

That didn't sit right with Gabrielle. She now had confirmation that her future wife hadn't been totally honest with her in Thebes. Xena already gave her love to another poet before her. Another deceitful person shattered Xena's heart again.

Gabrielle really began to hate Akemi. "What happened next?"

"With Yodoshi dead, Akemi put the pinch on herself, imploring me to restore her honor by decapitating her using the sacred grand katana and placing her ashes in her family shrine with her siblings and mother. I was seething in anger that I wouldn't get any riches, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. I saw in her eyes that she was intent on having it no other way. After her last entreaty, I ended her life." Xena said.

"You killed Akemi." Gabrielle accepted the revelation. "Did you carry out her request?"

"I tried to, but when I begun my trek at night to get there, word spread fast while I was cremating Akemi's body. The people of Higuchi knew what Akemi had done, and demanded that I shouldn't place her ashes in her family's shrine." Xena answered.

"I don't understand, why would they care?" Gabrielle was perplexed.

"Yodoshi was the Shogun of the village. Although he was an atrocious family man, Akemi had dishonored herself by committing patricide. She murdered her father and their political leader. To hinder my travel, the crowd began throwing stones at me. One of them hit the pottery that I was carrying her ashes in and it shattered. I was in a drunken, dishevelled state, alone and broke. All I wanted to do was a simple selfless act, and some idiots ruined that. So in retaliation, I picked up a torch that was used to light Higuchi at night, and with the remainder of my saki, I set the whole town village ablaze." Xena's face formed a gloomy smile of pride. "Finally I left Japa, hoping never to return again."

Peeking at the katana, Gabrielle asked. "What you do with the grand katana when you had it in your possession?"

"I tossed it in the fire with Akemi. Obviously, it didn't take, seeing that it's here and in perfect condition, but I swore it melted. It was gone when the pyre's flames abated." Xena responded.

"Why did Akemi want vengeance in the first place?"

"Yodoshi supposedly had slaughtered her grandparents, including her mother and siblings. One brother, two sisters." Xena answered, growing weary of the questions now.

"Do you... Do you still love her?" Gabrielle had to know.

"Don't ask me that." Xena replied.

"I want to know, Xena." Gabrielle stayed firm.

An answer wasn't forthcoming, so Gabrielle played a different tact. "Do you look forward to seeing her again?"

"Yes." she said without hesitation.

"You do love her." the amazon surmised.

"Just because I want to see her again, doesn't mean that I love her." Xena was annoyed.

"And it doesn't mean you don't either."

"Gabrielle, I do not have the will, nor patience to deal with your jealous outbursts." Xena rebuked.

Gabrielle, quiet down. She deserved the comeuppance that Xena gave her. She had no reason to feel jaundiced. Akemi was a ghost, a specter. It was no way possible she could take Xena away from her. Also, Xena gave her a promise that nobody would ever break them apart.

Small hands guided up Xena's torso, to her raven hair. "Forgive me and my ways, Xena." Gabrielle placed a gentle kiss above the cleavage Xena's brown battle dress accentuated. "I love you so much, I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Her lips placed moist pecks up her lover's upper chest and the hollow spot of Xena's neck, before nipping at her mouth, coaxing the blue eyed beauty to open them for her wet tongue. Xena was still upset, but relented as she grasped Gabrielle's short golden hair and pressed her mouth fully to her's. A profound moan escaped the confines of Gabrielle's throat while their tongues were immersed together.

For some unknown reason, Xena couldn't stop thinking of Akemi. She began pulling from the kiss, but Gabrielle deepen it even more. The younger woman could feel Xena trying to halt her advance, though she didn't fathom why Xena would want to be diffident. Deciding to disconnect their mouths, Gabrielle crossed her arms and lifted off her halter top. Next, she placed Xena's hands on both her bare breast.

"Make love to me." Gabrielle cooed.

That did it for Xena, as she jumped off from the cot. "I can't do this."

Gabrielle was angry now. "What the hell do you mean, you can't do this?"

Putting on her foot ware and walking towards the door, Xena replied. "I need to clear my head, I'll be back."

"I'm laying here, half naked for you, begging for your touch, and you need to clear your head?" Gabrielle was seeing red. "You're doing it again, Xena! You are pushing me away!"

"I am only going to check on Argo, I'll be back!" Xena yelled as well, leaving out the room.

Gabrielle knew Xena wasn't coming back tonight. It was already late and the sun was some hours away from rising. Getting up, she blew out the lantern letting the darkness engulf her, thinking. 'She's going to go brooding over this. I'm just not sure if it's over this entire situation, or a singular person. But which person, the father, the daughter, or both?'

Gabrielle laid back on the cot, she brought forth every detail of what Xena had expressed to her tonight, by her words, her actions, and feared the answer she came up with to explain the Warrior Princess' behavior.

Gabrielle really disliked the mist of spring, but she was now positive that she hated Akemi more.

"Akemi." she said aloud in disgust.

**{X&G}**

Xena traipsed the long hull that was the third tier of the warship in a complete circle, looking for a way to get to the stables. She was not very attentive to her environment, cause her focus was preoccupied with trying to abnegate what happened in the cabin with her blonde lover.

Looping around again, Xena spotted one of the Samurai that was with Kenji. He was still wearing his full purple armor and mask, but rather than being accoutred with all the weapons he had earlier, he only was equipped with his katana, sheathed to his right hip.

"Excuse me." Xena called out, pacing at the heels of him.

He whirled to face her, his gloved hand holding the handle of his sword.

Xena held her hands palms out to signal that she wasn't causing any disorder. "Just wanted to ask you, how do I get to the bottom tier? I want to inspect my horse, Argo."

Not uttering a sound, the Samurai walked past her. At first, Xena thought that he was ignoring her, but then made the decision to follow him. Coming to the stairs that ascended to the top tiers and the deck, the purple armored warrior knelt down to release a latch to an inconspicuous compartment in the floorboards.

'That's why I missed it.' Xena grinned.

The Samurai stood, gesturing with his hand where she would find the stables.

"Thank you."

He nodded his head and walked away as, Xena climbed down the ladder below. After finishing her descent, she observed two walkways to the right and left of her. Smelling the unmistakable scent of horses, Xena went down the left path.

While touring the stables, the dark haired woman seen all of the Samurai's steeds. The armor they once wore was disassembled, and she wondered how the Samurai denoted which one belong to its rightful owner. Xena had a good memory when it came to people, especially horses as she came across the dark brown horse that Tanya rode off on.

'Great.' Xena snorted. 'She's on board too?'

Argo's whinny from the next stall halted Xena's grousing cogitation.

"Hi girl, did you miss me?" Xena asked while she viewed the stall, noting the fresh hay and water bucket.

"Ah, I see that they have taken very good care of your needs." Xena announced.

Next, she reached into the saddle bags that were placed in the corner of the stall to take out an apple. "But I bet they haven't fed you one of these."

Argo II let loose a joyous neigh as Xena started feeding the fruit to her.

"What am I doing, Argo?" she begun saying. "Gabrielle is everything to me, it's just... I miss Akemi, and I can't talk to her about my feelings for another. Gabrielle can not conceive how important Akemi is to me, including this mission to Japa. She'll only get jealous and angry. I don't want that."

Once the apple was consumed, Xena stroked the mane of her mare. "Am I being selfish. I did run out our cabin when we were on the verge of making love. I don't want to accept it, but how can I tell her, everything she was doing and the words that she spoke out her mouth, reminded me of Akemi? Gabrielle will kick my ass for sure."

Xena's fingers aimlessly went through Argo's hair while a retentive flashback played in her mind.

_"In a flurry of snow, two breaths of the wind unite, and become as one, then disappear into each other."_

_Her poems of love again. Enough is enough._

_"Listen, Akemi, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I really love this sword, and you're a nice kid, but I just came for the ransom."_

_"I don't believe that." she disputed._

_I could care less what she believe. If she doesn't cease her foolish talk about eternal bullshit, I might strangle her._

_"What do you hear?" Akemi inquired._

_Here we go with this again. Fine, I'll indulge her silly game. I close my eyes, listening intently._

_"Snow falling on cedar." I say mockingly, until I hear something else. "No. Your heart, beating harder than normal."_

_Akemi makes her way to me and takes my free hand that isn't holding the katana into both of her's. What is she doing? Why am I allowing her to affect me like this?_

_"You're a master of war, yet you know no words to speak of love. And then you go and save my life. There's no greater gift of love a teacher can give a student than that." she explained._

_I see it in her pretty dark hazel eyes that she is being sincere. Oh how I want to drown into her. I thought Lao 'Ma was the only woman I had a sexual urge for, though she never took me up on the offer, and now after what I'd done, she wouldn't ever. I know Akemi will as I catch a gleam in her dark orbs._

_"I have another gift I must ask of you."_

_Always something. People always want something._

_"I saw what you did to kill that coward, Kao." she said._

_The pinch? She wants to learn the pinch._

_"It's a sacred trust." I reply._

_She smiles. "I would be honored beyond words if you teach me that."_

_"All right." I respond smiling also._

_Next, I jabbed the fingers of both my hands into her neck, watching as she fell on her knees desperate to breathe._

_"You have thirty seconds to live." I taunt, leaning above her. "Is this what you want to learn?" _

_Blood runs from her nose as she gasp for air, croaking. "Yes."_

_I glare at her, a part of me wanting to see the life leave her body, while the other half needed to feel her body. _

_Dropping down too, I undo the pinch. Her mouth makes a sibilant sound as she wheeze for oxygen. I wipe the trickle of blood off her bottom lip and nose._

_"Show me, Master." she rasp._

_"Do you desire me to be your Master?" I purr, running my hand in her ebony hair, much like my own, before gripping it tightly. _

_She winces, but manage to say. "You already are."_

_I refuse to hold myself back any longer. I kiss her small luscious lips, forcing my tongue into the cavern of her mouth, exploring it, wanting to take and taste every ounce of her. Akemi's silent moans drove me on as I held her hair in a vise grip, plunging my tongue deeper down her throat, unlike a savage._

_Suddenly I stop myself with that realization. I don't want to take her the way she told me Kao had done. Not like this. Not to her._

_"Not like this." I repeat out loud, drawing away._

_Her hands touch my cheeks delicately, making my blue eyes look onto her's. _

_"I'll teach you, then you can teach me." she tells me, gently kissing my lips. After that, she said. "I'll help you forget about the stress of life." Going for one more, she claimed. "I'll cure and aid you in leaving your shifting madness behind."_

_Hearing that false assertion, I closed off our kiss. I am not some sort of affliction that can be cured. Mines is power, and one day every living soul will know my name to represent fear in all locations of Gaia._

_Akemi must have known something was wrong now. Ha, maybe she could hear it in my heartbeat, because I'm ready to lay into her, and not with my fingers, but with my new grand katana._

_My katana, where is it?_

_I look to the right of me, seeing its blade sticking into the snow covered grass. Damn it, I dropped it carelessly when I put the pinch on Akemi. Turning back to face her, Akemi was already taking off her furs that protected against the cold and untied the sash to her white kimono that was wrapped around her waist, exposing the erect black crests on her petite ample breasts to me._

_She takes my hands again, placing them on both her bosoms. "Make love to me, Master. I'll teach you."_

_It was over. She had won. _

_At this moment, I fell into her, and secretly knew that I wouldn't deny her anything._

Xena felt herself foment at the memory of that night with the younger woman who taught her the art of passion.

Her hand was frozen in one spot on Argo's tanned cream mane, so she began rubbing it again. She let out a dreamy sigh, saying the name of the person she would forever love.

"Akemi."

**To Becontinued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny. If you have not read the previous chapters preceding this one, you should do so now. I usually have something witty to say here, but my mind is blank right now. I will say this (write) this though, for the readers that have been reading both tales, it all will pay off in this chapter. If you have not, it's never too late to jump on the band wagon. Let's begin and enjoy.

**Xena & Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By, Ahkiken**

**Chapter 7: Greater Good**

Beads of sweat slowly dribbled off Gabrielle's forehead and neck, onto the sheets of the cot that her body slept on. She was having an intense lucid dream that seemed so real. In it was Xena, who had raven and silver hair tied to the back of her head with only a few wisps hanging around her eyes. Her appearance was aged, but she still was attractive, dressed in a black tunic covered by armor the color of crimson that had golden chains interlacing from the front chest plate up to her shoulder pads, where a dark cape connected to it. Her legs were concealed in tight fitting dark leather, with intricate thin embroideries that was also the same red shade as her armor and black knee high boots. On her hips were two swords. One was the original sword she had always wielded, the other had a gold ruby eyed lion headed hilt, and beside it was the dark chakram.

The elder Xena was leaning against the side of an average sized ship. She had the expression of being in deep thought about something that clearly made her happy when a huge toothy smile formed on her lips, causing one of her men, wearing purple armor to stare at her in awe. So she turned her head to hide the smile and concentrated on the darkness.

It was night time as the vessel drift along the river, a half mile away from the docks of an unknown location. The area her, and her small army of soldiers were in, was surrounded by a bunch of shadowy trees, as if the body of water resembled a glade.

Something caught her attention in the woods, making her call out words, but the dialogue was muted. A blonde woman, who's long hair was tied in a ponytail walked up to the older Xena. It was Glaphyra, and she also wore purple armor like the other troops, except she had an emblem on her right breast plate deducing rank. A sword was sheathed on her back, and many daggers encircled her waist which was her custom.

Xena gave her a command, and Glaphyra quickly left to carry it out. Xena's blue orbs focused on whatever it was that made her feel cagey as Glaphyra returned, handing her a bow and several arrows. Xena placed an arrow between her index and middle fingers, drawing it back on the bowstring. She mouthed some more words, before closing her left eye and waiting a few seconds. After that, she took aim and fired, hitting someone in the hidden dark. When the figure keeled over and was revealed to be a man adorned in Roman styled armor, Xena shouted out orders.

The whole scene was deaden as arrows descended on the ship, while Xena and her crew found shelter behind either the thick mast, or ducking below railings of the vessel. A few men were too slow in finding cover and received the tip of arrows for their sluggish efforts. Xena searched out Glaphyra. Once seeing her unharmed, she conveyed a couple of hand signals. Understanding, the long haired blonde gathered six troops and went below deck.

Xena was still hiding alongside the rails beside the soldier that was watching her in adoration, before the raid. He smiled at her when an arrowhead went through the wooden rail and pierced his neck. The older woman gently eased the shaft out of him, then with haste, she tore both sleeves off her tunic to wrap it tightly around his wound to halt the bleeding. The ship started sailing faster towards the pier when Xena closed her eyes in meditation.

Another soldier crawled over to her and the injured man. After he got to them, Xena opened her eyes suddenly to catch a projectile that was seconds from finding its target. The horrified troop gawked at the arrow tip inches from his head, until Xena dragged him lower to the floorboards of the deck. She pointed to the wounded man, in advance of grabbing her bow and a few arrows as the soldier began putting pressure on the torn tunic that was wrapped around his fellow comrade.

Xena moved along the railings of the deck, waiting for split pauses of the barrage to cease before taking quick pop shots with her arrowheads. Every arrow landed on its mark. Finally, Glaphyra and two of her troops came back carrying a bundle of bows and arrows. Xena stood up catching another arrow out of the air that was about to hit her, while looking and yelling at her warriors. The whole army raised their hands in a cheer as the vessel was ten feet from the waterfront.

Xena spun on her feet and did an amazing front flip onto the dock as her soldiers begun returning fire with their projectiles. With the enemy's arrow she still clutched in her hand, she shot it at the first Roman who charged her. Dropping the bow, she withdrew both her blades, decapitating the second one, slashing the chest of the third, and engaging the fourth.

Glaphyra jumped on the dock when the ship got closer, running past the men the crimson armored woman had killed. She joined Xena, throwing two daggers into both eyes of an enemy. She tried to take down another man with them, but the Roman soldier dodged it, so she unsheathed the sword from her back and connected it with his. The man was bigger than her and apparently stronger as he used brute strength with every swing. Bringing a downward stroke with his gladius, he brought Glaphyra to her knees when she blocked it. The smug grin on his features melted away into a look of pain when a dagger was lodged into his gut, then sliced across his midsection. He fell to the ground, while Glaphyra arose, saying some retort with a grin of her own.

By time the rest of Xena's army disembarked the ship and began to fight, forty Romans were already dead, most by Xena's hand. Once she severed the arm of her opponent and thrust her lion handle blade into him, a bombardment of more arrows showered her and her troops again when all the Roman soldiers that tried to keep them from advancing beyond the pier were defeated. Her men formed a aegis, shielding themselves as well as the two women. With the assault of projectiles ended, the second wave of Romans came from the woods, branding their gladius, spears, and shields of their own. Forming a line of defense, the shield and spear bearers were in the front, while the other soldiers stayed behind them, to seize their opportunity to get strikes in when Xena and her army was pushed back.

As the Roman phalanx moved forward, Xena said something that made her troops' facial expression show laughter. Next, she sheathed her two bloody swords, and gripped the dark chakram. Breathing in deeply, she threw it with such force that the razor circular disc tore asunder every shield the Romans had, killing some of them also. The chakram didn't ricochet back, but it appeared that Xena hadn't expected it to, as she called out a command and the hoplites picked up where the Romans were cut off, creating their own phalanx. Xena only unsheathed her lion sword, directing it at the opposition, exclaiming one word.

The hoplites proceeded forward, causing the Roman soldiers to take steps backwards in fear, falling over top of each other. Their retreat foiled by their own cowardice, the hoplites made short work of the second wave. Xena and Glaphyra glanced at one another momentarily, before they both decided to join the combat, with Xena flipping over the hoplites and Glaphyra sprinting around them.

Xena's blade slashed through flesh and bone as she killed one soldier after the other, splashing blood that camouflage with her armor. When the purple armored woman got into the action, there were just four men still standing. Sheathing her sword, she pulled out two daggers, throwing one in the chest of her enemy, and the second found its way in the leg of an unfortunate other. Trekking up to him she took the embedded dagger out, then slit his throat with it.

Xena held her hand out, giving the sign for her forces to stop as she glared at the two remaining Romans. The first man shook off his nerves, got froggy and leaped right onto the sharpness of her sword. At the sight of the life blood leaving his companion's body, the last Roman dropped his weapon. The elder Xena said something to him, but when the soldier shook his head in the negative, she rushed over and put the pinch on him. Falling on the bloody soaked grass, Xena kicked him in his chest, forcing the man to land on his back. Next, she positioned her sword over his heart, when someone grasped her attention.

Walking out the cover of darkness the many trees provided for him and his contingent of Roman troops, the moonlight shined on him. It was Brutus and alongside him was another man with short chopped brown hair. Brutus held out his hand, he seemed to be explaining, or offering her something. Locking eyes with him, Xena made no reply, but smiled savagely and plunged her lion blade into the dying Roman's body beneath her.

Gabrielle was roused from her slumber with a jolt, her upper frame lifting from the cot.

'God, what was that?' she mused, shutting her eyes and wiping the droplets of sweat off her face.

Gabrielle laid down on the cot again, placing the back of her left hand over her closed aqua irises. The dream, felt like reality, as if she was really there. She couldn't differentiate whether it was a prophetic vision of the future, remembering the older appearance of Xena, or the past, recalling Glaphyra, Brutus and the dark chakram.

'It can't possibly be the past. None of those events took place in our lives. Of that, I am certain.' Gabrielle thought. 'It can not be the future. Brutus is deceased, I've done the deed myself doing the Battle of Actium, and Glaphyra would at least be old like Xena too.'

Deciding it was all a dream, the petite short haired blonde cast it aside for now. When she opened her eyes, she saw the jade gemstone in her ring emitting a bright lime glow. Gabrielle sat up and studied the strange glowing stone. In the two weeks she wore it, the jade never done anything like this before. She rubbed her eyes free from the sleep, maybe she was still under the effects of tiredness. Her and Xena had been extremely sexually active a lot lately.

Opening her eyes once more, Gabrielle seen that the jade gem on her silver band had gone back to its dull color. Positive that it could have been the after effects of the dream she had, the bard shook her head to get the crazy out and then climbed out from underneath the furs of the cot. Next, she determined that the sun was rising as its ray crept through the wooden boards of the cabin room's interior.

Scooping up her scarlet top and slipping it on, she also seen a basin of water lying on the small table. She doubted her lover was the reason for it being there and wasn't too comfortable about Kenji, or any other person coming in while she was sleeping, but was grateful nonetheless. Dipping the clean cloth into the water and rinsing the access liquid, Gabrielle washed her face, including all of her hotspots. Feeling refreshed, she put on her boots before exiting the room to ascertain the whereabouts of her future spouse.

**{X&G}**

Xena was brushing Argo II done whilst having a one sided conversation with her.

"I want to tell Gabrielle everything, but I know how she can be. She'll blow up on me. I should have more confidence in her than that, it's just, Gabrielle doesn't know Akemi personally, the way I do. She won't understand. Akemi's a good person, who got the short end of the stick in life."

Argo snorted in disagreement.

"Heck, you don't know her either. Neither did your mother. Helping Akemi is the only consolation I'm getting out of stopping her soul sucking father. And let me tell you, Yodoshi deserves to be sent to wherever it is that the damned go." Xena avowed with malice intent. "The things he'd done to Akemi, and her family was cruel. Akemi ended his life, I have failed in restoring her honor for that action, so it is my duty to bring peace to her and Japa by obliterating his absolute existence."

The palomino softly nudged her collarbone, offering support of empathy.

"I knew you would understand, girl. I wish that Gabrielle could be more perceptive."

Argo began nudging her harshly.

"Okay, you're right also, Argo. I will talk with her." she said, patting and brushing the toffee colored mare.

'All I want to do is repair a failed act on my part, but I should be doing this for the Greater Good, not for selfish purposes. I need to place my feelings for Akemi back where I had before. I will restore her honor though.' Xena thought.

"I owe Akemi that much."

"Who's Akemi?" a familiar voice inquired.

Xena kept her back to the young woman, as she continued her ministrations on her mare. "Hello, Tanya. How did you get acceptance to come aboard this ship?"

Taking Xena's question as an open invitation, the auburn haired warrior walked into the stall. "When I arrived at the port of Scione, I began asking around for captains that wouldn't mind me travelling along as a passenger on their vessel. I don't want to go back to Larissa, so any destination was alright with me."

She blew air out of her mouth in irritation. "I realized that I left my dinars with, Timon. He was the money holder of the squad I was poorly leading up till now. Anyway, all deals fell through. No money, no fare, unless I was willing to abase myself, which I wasn't. I'm not giving head to get ahead."

Tanya laughed at her own joke, but after seeing that Xena found no humor in it, she nervously coughed. "I was going to call it a day when a monk asked me about you. I was sceptical, because of the armored warriors he had with him, but then he told me that he needed your help for an important matter. Once he swore no harm would come to you, we made a trade. My information concerning your location for a free ride on this gigantic ship. Well, not fully free. I do have to work the galleys. Still-"

"Do you know when we set sail?" Tanya finally said something that piqued Xena's interest.

"When the sun shines past dawn. It's twilight now, so it won't be long."

'Gods!' Xena was aghast. 'I spent the whole night away from Gabrielle? She's going to be furious.'

Tanya was unaware of Xena's dilemma, so she went on. "I'm up, because the other galley workers woke me. I think they are slaves, and all men. Also, they're all foreigners like the monk who let me come aboard, except they speak not one bit of greek. I had no idea what they were talking about, until some of them got the message that I was ignorant of their language and started pointing at the oars."

She released a light chuckle. "They thought I was insane when I grabbed the oar and began rowing. That's when one of them became really creative. He directed my attention to the sun we could see through the aperture of where the oars were inserted. Next, he raised his hands to show me it represented sunrise. Then he imitated propelling the oar. Thank the gods for him."

Tanya paused for a moment, considering the Godslayer in front of her, and corrected her statement. "I mean, thank whatever gods remain. That's why I'm here now, to check on Brownie, before we row. I don't know when we'll get a break, and I don't want him to miss me, he can become edgy."

"You named your horse, Brownie?" Xena smirked.

"You named your mare, Argo Jr?" she retorted back.

"It's, Argo II." Xena replied.

"He was a going away present to me from my father. He is brown and I happen to like brownies, so there you have it." Tanya explained.

"To each its own." the Warrior Princess conceded while putting the brush into the saddle bags, when she discovered something amiss.

"Guess I was right, huh?" Tanya smiled.

"What?" Xena was still digging around.

"I told you, our paths will meet again. I'm more than assured that our destinies are connected." she answered.

"Don't get coincidence confused with destiny, Tanya." Gabrielle announced, coming up behind her.

Tanya was surprised by the amazon's sudden appearance. "Gabrielle, glad to meet you again."

"Likewise." the bard responded walking by her to stand beside Xena.

The dark haired woman acted like she was still searching for the other currency, that she already knew was gone. Xena could sense the displeasure for her pouring off of Gabrielle and was not ready to face her.

"Tanya, I want to be alone with Xena."

It wasn't a request, it was an order, and Tanya abided by it. "I'm going to check on my horse in the next stall and-"

"No." Gabrielle interjected. "I need for you to leave the stables. You can see to your horse later. This won't be long."

"Yup." Tanya agreed, spinning on her heels and leaving the stall to go back to the galleys.

Xena stood up onto her feet and walked to the side of Argo, creating a false barrier while squint aqua eyes gazed at her. "Purple Samurai, told you where I was?"

The blonde head nodded once.

"I'm sorry Gabrielle. I didn't mean to stay here in the stables all night."

"Save it, Xena. I knew that you weren't coming back to me. You were too absorbed by what's happening in Japa and everything that came before in your past there." she said.

"You're angry with me?" Xena asked.

"Not totally." Gabrielle replied before her features became somber.

Xena wasn't falling for the trap. It was many of times, Gabrielle would appear to be forgivable only to snare her in for the bite.

"I had a dream while I slept. It felt more like a vision than anything else. Identical to the ones I use to have all those years ago. You remember?"

"Yes." Xena responded, reminiscent of one in particular when she held off the Persian troops. Before she went one against an army, Gabrielle warned her about the Persian with the double edged sword.

"I awaken feeling slightly discontented. I needed you. I'm trying to get it out of my head, but I can't." the bard looked down.

Xena moved towards Gabrielle as she spoke on. "The jade gem of my ring is usually darken, but when I woke, it was glowing very brightly, then it stopped after I closed my eyes."

"It probably was your imagination running away from you." Xena insisted, pulling her lover into her arms. "I should have been there."

"Why did you leave me?" the muffled voice against her chest questioned.

'Damn it.' Xena fell for it and begun feeling the entrapment. If she gave a half truthful response, Gabrielle would see through it, and fuss. Answering whole heartedly, Xena could risk the bard not caring for what she's hearing, and fuss. The tall warrior could deny a reply altogether, and Gabrielle would fuss.

Xena prepared herself mentally hoping that her beautiful future wife wouldn't make her regret her decision. Disengaging from the embrace, she started to say. "This mission is causing mixed emotions in me. I want to help Harukata for the right reasons, but than I find myself wanting to fulfill my own selfish desires."

Gabrielle inquired. "Are you upset that our wedding will be put off?"

"No." Xena said, too vehemently for Gabrielle's pleasure. "If it was just that, this would be a piece of cake. I'd just decline aiding the Samurai and we would be heading to Egypt this instant."

"So why aren't we?" Gabrielle posed a different question, calming the fire within her.

"Akemi is much more important than all of that." Xena answered.

"Akemi's more imperative than our marriage!" Gabrielle felt the fire become an inferno.

"It isn't a comparison contest. Do not twist my words, before I can finish them." Xena was halting her ire.

"I'm not twisting anything, Xena. You are the one that said it. I'm not blind, I can see." the bard stated.

Exasperated, Xena demanded. "What do you see, hmm?"

"You promised that we would settle. We're not and you don't seem nonplussed by it at all. I don't even know why I would have the audacity to think you would care!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

"Things happen sometimes and it alter plans. Don't misconstrue my caring for wanting to restore Akemi's honor as apathy for me and your love."

"You have done a terrific job of that yourself, Xena. You didn't even..." Gabrielle breathed in to find a sense of calmness, but didn't. "You haven't bother to ask me if I wanted to take this trip to Japa. You made that sole decision and I accepted it. You have treated me like shit since you've heard the name Akemi and I accepted it. You leave me last night on the brink of copulating and I was accepting that, till now when you want to stand here, feeding me garbage about how you feel torn between helping Harukata for moral reasons. It all adds up to the same outcome. Going to Japa. I don't care about none of that, just honestly tell me why you left me last night?"

"This is the main purpose I didn't want to talk with you on this matter. I explained to you last night how my time in Japa effected me, not on a grand scale, but that's what I am trying to do now and you blatantly call me a liar when I'm telling you how I feel." Xena was offended. "How dare you!"

"You are a liar!" Gabrielle blared getting it off her chest and out in the open. "While we were in King Thoas kingdom in Thebes, when you proposed, you said to me that you had never fell in love with another person after Caesar. Clearly that isn't true, far from it. You're so caught up with Akemi, the only time I can get a reaction out of you is by mentioning her name. She's the basis of why you've forsaken me."

Xena turned away from the blonde amazon in rage. She took umbrage at Gabrielle's statement of falseness.

'I did not lie, I just pushed the memory of Akemi to the far recess of my mind to the extent of casting her out. I allowed myself to forget all about her. I spoke nothing but truths that night in bed with you. I'd confessed my love, my soul. I had bared my all to the woman I'll marry. Would have married.'

Xena kept silent, keeping all her thoughts where she felt they belong. In her head, safe and guarded, for it served no benefit to speak to Gabrielle about any of it, because she will continue to do exactly what Xena feared she would. Be pugnacious.

The dark woman's features was twisted in anger, before she replaced it with a stoic one she had perfected. Next, she walked over to the saddle bags to retrieve the brush once more and began grooming Argo again, her back still to her lover.

"Don't ignore this and pretend like I'm not here. Say something." the bard commanded.

Xena continued on what she was doing. Gabrielle's hand touched her arm to spin her around, but Xena shook her off forcefully. Gabrielle sucked her teeth and tried to do it a second time and Xena complied, but then shoved her a few steps backwards, shocking her.

"It would be wise if you refrain from touching me, little girl." Xena warned in an acerbic tone.

"Or what?" Gabrielle refused to cower. "You'll hit me... Again. With what this time, I wonder. Your fist, or chakram?"

Another blow to Xena's heart, but she didn't let her apathetic mask falter. "Touch me and find out."

The velvet clad amazon was hiding her discomposure. She had no idea what her soul mate would do, but she wasn't backing down due to stubborn pride.

"Xena Sama, and Gabrielle San." Kenji came in the nick of time. "Good morning. Forgive the intrusion, but the Shogun awaits both your presence, before breakfast."

The Warrior Princess tossed the brush into the open saddle bag and walked out the stall behind the monk.

Greenish blue irises watched her, thinking. 'Prehaps I've pushed Xena to the edge prematurely. She had never gotten this mad at me when she was wrong. Indifferent, but never violent.'

With a heavy conscious, Gabrielle followed as well.

**To Becontinued...**

**Wow! What a roller coaster. Why don't you just fav, or follow, or do both for this story and make me happy. Naw you don't have to do that, although it would be nice. Seriously though, if you aren't reading both stories, you're are going to miss out on the plot. So why don't you run over to, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny, and see what Gabrielle's twin, Ri is dreaming about. Darn it, I'm giving away the story. Thanks for reading. Nuff said.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny. If you have not read the chapters of both stories preceding this one, you should do so now.

**Xena & Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By Ahkiken**

**Chapter 8: Righting Wrongs**

Three bodies made their way up the stairs to the first tier, onwards to the Shogun's conference cabin. The monk was at ease knowing that soon the curse of Japa would be ended. The two women that was following him weren't at all as their minds battled with despair for each other.

'I shouldn't have said what I did to her.' the bard felt annoyed at herself. 'It was wrong of me to throw our violent past in her face. I've done hurtful acts too that she could toss at me as well.'

Gabrielle watched Xena walk ahead of her, acquiescing that she had to remedy the pain she'd caused.

She stretched out her hand to hold onto the tall woman's wrist. "Xena, I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did." Xena cut her apology short without turning her head, or breaking stride. "You meant every word. Let us leave it at that."

Although the skin that Gabrielle held was warm, it began to feel cold to her touch after Xena's interjection. With the relinquishment of her soul mate, Gabrielle's vexation at her own actions grew as they came to their destination.

Kenji opened the door for the women and when they entered inside he closed it, remaining outside in the entrance way. The Warrior Princess and the bard saw Harukata, along with the three Samurai sitting at a lengthy rectangular table still adorned in their full armor. The Shogun was seated at the end, the two that wore sun fire and purple armor sat spaced out on one side together, while the blue armored Samurai was settled on the other side alone.

"Good morning to you, Xena and your companion. Please take a seat." Harukata greeted.

Xena observed the armored warriors in front of her with a keen eye and once she noticed that each of their katanas was lain out on the table in arms reach of their owners, she immediately regretted coming to the meeting without her weapons. Cerulean orbs glanced at Gabrielle and seen that she was also unarmed.

'I told her to stay on guard and still it would be like her not to carry her sais with her.' Xena thought. 'Well, if they try anything at least I have my breast dagger.'

Next, Xena smiled, hating the fact that she had no choice but to trust Harukata's word from last night that no harm would come to them.

She responded. "Morning to you all."

Then she sat in the chair at the opposite end across from the Shogun so that she could keep a view on everyone, leaving Gabrielle to sit in the last chair beside the blue Samurai.

"Morning." Gabrielle said to the three men, before greeting the man next to her. "Good morning, Zicalus."

"To you too." he returned back.

"Thank you again Warrior Princess for deciding to assist us and showing up to this gathering. Here we will discuss the issue of Yodoshi in detail and our plan of attack, but first introductions are in order." the Shogun announced, un-clasping his crimson helmet to reveal an older man with grey hair tied to the back of his head.

The color of Harukata's helmet and the fashion of his hair flashed a memory in Gabrielle's mind of her dream. She closed her eyes to shake the image of the elder Xena and Glaphyra away.

Xena and Zicalus both regarded her, but stayed quiet as Gabrielle composed herself.

"You already know my name is, Harukata, Shogun of Shinto in Japa." he said, setting his helmet on the table.

Next, he gestured for the other concealed Samurai to do the same. The one wearing sun fire yellow removed his to show a Japian man in his late thirties, with cropped black hair.

"This is, Koska, my third in command." the Shogun affirmed.

After that, the purple armored Samurai took his off to expose another Japian man with spikey brown hair. His face was badly disfigured by scars running diagonally from both sides of his cheeks to meet below damaged lips to his chin.

"That is, Moku, my weapons expert." Harukata pronounced.

'Looks like he met a few of them personally.' Xena deduced.

Finally Zicalus unmasked, unveiling a young man who had the appearance of mixed ancestry and medium sized ebony hair that cascaded around his light green eyes.

'He's handsome.' Gabrielle thought.

"And this is the newest member to join under my direct command, Zicalus." Harukata disclosed. "Now that's out of the way. We all know who you are, Xena, but what's the name of your travelling friend?"

"She can introduce herself." Xena replied.

The petite blonde wasn't certain if her lover was saying that out of courtesy, or spite.

"Her name is, Gabrielle." Zicalus answered for her.

"We are grateful to you as well, Gabrielle San."

"Thank you, Shogun. Hopefully I can be of some help to bring peace to Japa." Gabrielle responded with a small smile.

"We all know each other's names, let's move on." Xena had a touch of annoyance in her voice. "How about we begin with the analysis of Yodoshi."

"Koska will provide that intel." the Shogun replied.

A deep gruff voice began speaking. "Yodoshi, Lord of the Darklands is amassing an army using the souls he had acquired. His numbers surpassed the higher thousands. The Daimyo will ensure that his Samurai will try to keep Yodoshi's forces from destroying Higuchi."

"Who is this, Daimyo?" Xena inquired.

"Morimoto and he is my second in command." Harukata answered. "I left him in Shinto with a retainer of Samurai while we came to Greece for you. He will protect Higuchi until we arrive."

"So he is the first line of defense?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yes, but he only has five thousand Samurai with him. The rest has to remain in Shinto just in case Yodoshi change tactics and attack it, or manage to defeat the Daimyo in Higuchi, which could happen. The daemon's warriors outnumber his." Zicalus responded.

'Sounds like a recipe for disaster.' Gabrielle mused.

Xena crossed her arms over her chest. "Doesn't seem the odds are in our favor at all, Harukata."

"You will address him as, Shogun." Koska said strongly.

Xena stared at the sun fire armored Samurai. After everything she had went through not to long ago with Gabrielle, she was ready to release her pent up aggression on anyone.

Koska glared back, trying not to let the ice blue orbs intimidate him.

The Shogun eased the tension by saying. "It is okay, Koska. The Warrior Princess isn't fully aware of our methods in customs. It's alright for her to break decorum." Gaining Xena's attention, he continued. "You are correct. It would appear that we are on the losing end, but you did not hear everything yet."

"Let's hear it. My patience is very thin and I rather not waste any seconds with idle talk about titles. Before this mission fell upon me, I was engaged-" Xena paused and glimpsed at her soul mate.

Gabrielle's greenish blue irises connected with Xena's and for an instant she saw warmth, then it cooled into dispassion.

"I was engaged to a glorious affair." Xena said esoteric. "Though the possibility of that is falling apart, I can still think of places I can be other than here."

'What is she implying?' the bard was fearful as her hand unconsciously started to twirl the silver band on her left index finger.

Zicalus noted the velvet clad amazon fingering her ring and stored the information for later investigation.

"Understandable, Xena." Harukata acceded. "Morimoto has five thousand warriors to defend Higuchi if we don't reach Japa on time. However, I still have twenty thousand in Shinto and that's not including the eight hundred of the best Samurai on this warship. It will take us a month and a half to reach Japa, so if Yodoshi ravage Higuchi, he won't do the same to Shinto."

"I'm puzzled by that, Shogun." Gabrielle admitted. "You could have travelled in a smaller vessel instead of using an enormous ship. It will take us longer to get to Japa when time is a huge factor because of the size, correct?"

Harukata merely nodded his head.

Realization dawned on Xena. "You're either planning an attack, or anticipating one using this warship, aren't you?"

"Yes." Harukata answered. "Nobody knows when Yodoshi will converge on Higuchi. We can only be assured that he will by not just Akemi's confirmation to Kenji, but by the incursion Yodoshi has already done on minor villages, before he had invaded Kyushu."

"I thought he had just begun trying to destroy parts of Japa and was beginning with Higuchi?" Gabrielle was baffled. "How long has Yodoshi ran amok before y'all came for Xena?"

"Two months." Harukata replied. "We thought that we could handle the situation without coming to a foreign land searching for a woman we wasn't positive existed. I sent a garrison of Samurai to guard Higuchi, but when no army came, I withdrew them. While on route back to Shinto they saw activity in a nearby village. They engaged the belligerents and were crushed. After I got word of what happened, I sent one thousand Samurai to seek out the people responsible. An injured sole survivor returned back, telling me that it was Yodoshi and that the Lord of the Darklands spared him to instill fear in Shinto. It was then we embark for Greece."

"Was there any importance in destroying Kyushu?"

"May I answer Gabrielle San's question, Shogun?" Zicalus offered.

"You can." he asserted.

"In Japa there are three temples called, the Tri Sanctuaries. Each one has a specific significance and are placed in three locations. The first is named, Kashiko-dokoro. It is there that people go in worship of their ancestors and is located in Kyushu. The second is, Korei-den. That is where worshippers go to receive aid from ancestral spirits and it's in Higuchi. The final third is named, Shin-den. That is where all the people of Japa attend to honor the sun Kami, Amaterasu and it's placed in Shinto. We don't know why he chose to invade Kyushu first instead of Higuchi. We assume to gain more souls, but he already destroyed Kashiko-dokoro. We now believe, Yodoshi intends the destruction of them all. It's safe to say that Higuchi will be next, ending with Shinto and then every area of Japa will fall easily."

The bard was captivated by the young man's storytelling and was eager to learn more. "That is the cause of Yodoshi's invasion of Kyushu, to destroy the ancestress temple?"

The blue armored Samurai nodded.

Xena observed the interaction of Gabrielle and Zicalus. She didn't like it one bit and it added to her anger.

"How long ago was it destroyed?" the cropped blonde asked.

It was Koska that answered. "A month after we set out on our voyage here."

"I'm not taking any chances." the Shogun began declaring. "I pray that we make it to Japa before Yodoshi does, but if we are too late, we will launch a counter strike from this ship."

"How did Yodoshi come back to life anyway?" Gabrielle was curious. "Xena told me that Akemi killed him, would that have anything to do with it?"

After asking that, Gabrielle looked over to her lover and could see that Xena was unhappy with her decision to share that information. The petite woman didn't need to be an Oracle to discern that she was making matters worse between them. She commenced twirling her jade ring once more.

"Akemi told Kenji that, Yodoshi's heart was so impure that the underworld rejected him. Somehow he made a pact with an unknown entity to become a daemon soul drinker." Harukata replied. "It seems that you and Xena have more insight on how both father and daughter died. I've heard hearsay and to be honest, I rather learn the truth from a person I know was there."

All eyes turned to Xena, except for Gabrielle's. Her's were downcast at the table, because of inadvertently putting Xena on the spot.

"Yodoshi was the Shogun of Higuchi. I have no idea what kind of governor he was, or if his rule was just and fair. What I do know for a fact, is that Yodoshi was an evil man towards his family. He murdered his parents, wife, son and two daughters. Then, he sold his only living daughter, Akemi to a warlord in Chin. It was there that I discovered her and brought her back to Japa, to her father for my own means. After being reunited with Yodoshi, Akemi committed patricide by killing him. With her obligation for revenge sated and her cognizance that she had disgraced herself, Akemi asked me to restore her honor by beheading her and placing her ashes in her family's shrine. I succeeded in taking her life." Xena stopped for a moment and gazed at Gabrielle, who still held her eyes down, but would glance upwards slightly.

It reminded Xena when they were in the prison inside Ming Tien's kingdom, Gabrielle would barely make eye contact with her then.

'When she betrayed me.' the dark haired warrior thought bitterly, before saying. "But I had failed to restore her honor. That is the only reason I am on this vessel now. I'm righting wrongs for a friend in need."

She said all of that while staring at Gabrielle, to convey that she truly wanted to simply fix an error from her past.

"Not just wrongs for Akemi." Koska mumbled.

Gabrielle turned her focus on him, asking before Xena did. "What do you mean by that?"

The Shogun glared at Koska, making the sun fire armored Samurai feel chided.

"We had covered enough for now. Let's get some breakfast and we will convene later." Harukata announced.

"I don't think so." Xena responded. Koska's last statement, coaxed Xena to feel weary. She already knew that Harukata wasn't telling her everything and after what she'd found out from the Shogun this morning, it made some things unclear. "What did your Samurai mean by his words, Harukata?"

The Shogun looked apprehensive, but yielded. "I would like to talk with the Warrior Princess, alone. Tell Kenji to go down to the galley and hold off our departure until further notice."

Every one of his Samurai stood up bowing, leaving their helmets and katanas as they exit the cabin.

"You too, Gabrielle San. This is for Xena's ears only." Harukata avowed.

"No. I stay with Xena." the petite amazon was determined.

"I don't want you here, Gabrielle." her soul mate stated, causing her to feel more than un-welcomed to remain by Xena's side. "Do as Harukata request."

Gabrielle slowly arose from her chair and with leaden feet proceeded to leave the room, thinking. 'She's angry with me. Fine, I can tolerate the anger. Just don't leave me, Xena.'

Once the door opened and closed, Xena became earnestly stern. "Cut the shit, Harukata. You have thousands of Samurai warriors yourself to counter Yodoshi's and don't insult my intelligence by saying that, Akemi wishes for me to be there in Japa. That isn't grounds enough for a Shogun to abandon his citizens when clearly you didn't want to when Yodoshi began his assault. So tell me and tell me honestly, why am I really here?"

"Do you remember the night you tried to take Akemi's ashes to her family's shrine?" he asked.

"You know I do. I just told you about it." Xena answered becoming vexed.

"You recall setting the village of Higuchi in flames?"

Blue orbs narrowed in uncertainty. "What are you getting at, Harukata?"

"After you set the village ablaze, a wind nourish it, causing the fire to grow."

"I know that. What does it matter?" Xena was on the verge of yelling.

"Xena, you are the cause of forty thousand deaths in Higuchi." the Shogun revealed.

"I couldn't have." she was troubled by what Harukata had told her. "I torched the town village. I knew that there would be many casualties, but nowhere near the estimate that you claim."

"When the fire grew from the wind, it engulfed not only the village, but almost the entire city." Harukata explained.

'The air currents were powerful that night.' Xena recollect how it blew Akemi's remains away.

"Why did you torch the town?" he inquired.

"The villagers shattered the pottery that I had Akemi's ashes in. I was drunk and vengeful at what they had done."

"That did not constitute the right to burn them." Harukata rebuked her. "The citizens of Higuchi were justifiable for impeding you. Yodoshi wasn't only Akemi's father, he was their provincial leader."

"I was a totally different person back then. I didn't give a damn about those people." Xena said truthfully.

"If you were capable of such ruthless acts in Higuchi, I can imagine how you treated others callously. You claim that you've changed, but tell me, was Gabrielle San anything like you were?" the Shogun questioned.

Xena's tone became ominous. "Say what you want about me, Harukata. Everything I had done wicked in this world can be laid at my feet, but don't you ever dare to put Gabrielle in the same category as me. She is the complete opposite of me in every way you can fathom when it comes to being virtuous."

The Shogun noticed that there was adoration in Xena's voice while she described her friend, with a touch of something else. "So hanging around villians isn't in her nature?"

Xena's hands gripped the table, her brain set on violence.

The old Shogun held out a hand. "I believe you. Gabrielle San does possess an aspect of light and goodness."

Xena calmed down. "Before we digress and jump all over the place, let's get back on track. I have killed a lot of innocent people when I was a warlord and spent my life now trying to atone for the terrible deeds I have done. This news of Higuchi saddens me and enlighten me to no longer aid you for Akemi's sake, but also for the people that perished because of me. I will help for the Greater Good."

"What are you willing to do Warrior Princess, in order to save Japa?"

"Whatever needs to be done. This is part of my atonement and hopefully the forty thousand lives I had taken can find peace while resting." Xena answered.

"The forty thousand souls aren't resting, Xena. They are being utilized." Harukata responded.

'Used?' the dark haired woman was perplexed. "I don't follow. How are the souls being-"

Xena's inquiry ceased as possible answers hit her. "The souls created Yodoshi. But Akemi supposed to have told Kenji that a mysterious entity made a deal with him... The souls are in Yodoshi!"

"Yes." the Shogun clarified. "Yodoshi can use every soul he consumed for his own whim."

"Almost twenty-six thousand warriors against his forty thousand." Xena was distressed.

"Not forty thousand anymore, Xena. That what Yodoshi started with. It's one hundred thousand now." Harukata corrected.

The Warrior Princess was more uneasy. 'What have I condemn Gabrielle to? It's no way we can secure a victory. Even if we do miraculously win, there will be great losses.'

Sapphire eyes locked onto old dark ones. "I have many skills, Harukata, but not a copious amount to defeat a hundred thousand warriors."

"A battle will occur, but our main focus is the Lord of the Darklands. With him destroyed, all the souls he had devour will find their rightful place in the afterlife. There, they will await their cycle for reincarnation." Harukata replied. "I was blessed by Amaterasu to slay any type of soul if I choose to. Once I am close to Yodoshi, I will kill him, which I am ordain to do and send him back to the nether realm where he belong."

"Yodoshi will be well protected. How will we be able to get remotely close to him?" Xena asked.

It was time for the Shogun to tell Xena the main purpose she was summoned. "Akemi need you in the spirit world with her. After you enter there, you and her can contain Yodoshi so that I can deliver the fatal blow."

"How do I get to the spirit world?"

Harukata's appearance was pensive, causing Xena to dread the un-answered question.

"How do I get there?" she repeated loudly.

"It is only one way, Xena." Harukata began to reply.

The solution made Xena's eyes widen in fright.

"You must die."

**{X&G}**

Gabrielle leaned on the wooden double doors of a room around the corner from the conference cabin, in deep consternation.

'Why did I have to argue with Xena, when I should've listened to her. Why did I have to open my big mouth and tell the Samurai what Xena had confided in me.'

Next, the petite blonde started to bang the back of her head against the door.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid. She's going to call it off, I know it. I can feel it in my gut that she is going to break off our wedding.'

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Gabrielle shut her eyes and chanted, still rocking her golden covered skull on the door.

"Hey." a voice broke Gabrielle out of her chagrin.

Her eyes popped open to gaze into light green irises that belong to, Zicalus.

"What are you doing?" he inquired. "If you really want to get some kind of frustration off, instead of abusing your pretty head, you could go inside the armory behind you. It also serves as our training room."

The bard was slightly embarrassed that she was caught unaware in her predicament.

"Should have figured y'all had a training room on this huge warship with as many warriors there is on board. I'll keep that in mind when I get frustrated again." she tried chuckling to hide her anxiety.

"What's wrong, Gabrielle San?" Zicalus detected her dismay.

"This mission to Japa has me in dire straits, but I'll be fine." she lied a little while her body straighten up off the door. "I hope Morimoto can hold Yodoshi at bay if we reach Japa late."

"Don't worry too much over that. The Daimyo is well equipped to protect Higuchi." Zicalus offered a smile of confidence. "We have you and the Warrior Princess in addition to our ranks. I have belief that everything will work out. I must admit, even without her armor, or weapons, Xena Sama can still intimidate."

"Yea, she can." Gabrielle returned a smile of her own as she took in Zicalus facial features.

He looked to be about her age, the dark hair that dangled around the sides of both his eyes gave him a feminine flair. No doubt he was very attractive.

"Thank you for easing my concerns." Gabrielle said in gratitude. "I do not want to delay you from your responsibilities, or anything."

"Well, breakfast is being dished out and to be truthful, I don't have a taste for raw fish wrapped in seaweed."

Gabrielle grinned. "It won't bother me none. I can get severe sea sickness. I use a pressure point to repose it. After that, the aftereffects numbs my tongue, so I won't taste a thing."

"That's a shame. I didn't want to eat my nut bread by myself and wanted to share it with you." Zicalus offered.

The short haired bard felt her stomach rumble. "Nut bread you say?"

"I purchased some from a shop when we docked here in Scione." Zicalus responded. "My mother made it for me in my youth and now I love it."

"I enjoy nut bread as well." a big smile formed on Gabrielle's face. "I might take you up on that offer, prehaps I can get in a few bites before we begin sailing. I'm going to tell Xena, so she'll know where I'll be."

"Okay. I will wait here for you." Zicalus said.

The petite amazon walked to the cabin Harukata and her soul mate was in, but she held off knocking when she heard Xena's exclamation.

"This is a trick!"

Concerned, Gabrielle secretly listened closely to the rest of the conversation.

"It's the truth, Xena. Personally I feel it is your duty to do this, but the choice is your's. I will not threaten you, nor coerce you. You have vocalized how adamantly you care for Gabrielle San and I completely understand you not wanting to risk her life to the dangers of war. If you choose, you and her can leave this-"

"No!" Xena exclaimed, interrupting the Shogun's sentence. "Gabrielle is important to me, she always will be. Still, this situation is bigger than her and too extreme to ignore. When Akemi calls me, I will go to her."

Gabrielle backed away from the door hurt and confused. 'Go to her? Akemi's more of an importance than me?'

"I've lost, Xena." she whispered to herself with tears emanating from her aqua orbs.

Spinning on her heels, Gabrielle ran, sprinting past Zicalus, who was left in disconsert.

"Gabrielle San?" he called out for her to no avail. "What about the nut bread?"

Gabrielle continued to run, disappearing down the stairs of the first tier.

**To Becontinued...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This story is tied in with, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny. If you have not read both story's chapters preceding this one, you should do so now. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Xena & Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By Ahkiken**

**Chapter 9: Let's Talk**

Xena began heading to the stables after telling Kenji that they were ready to sail from Scione. Her mind was in disarray with everything she had discovered from, Harukata, including the rash decision to die in order to stop Yodoshi, the daemon that fed off souls and trapped the forty thousand inhabitants of Higuchi that died by her hand.

'What have I done?' Xena questioned, understanding the full ramifications of the bind she had placed on herself.

The crisis did not only affect her, but in turn will effect the bard to a greater extent. Xena wouldn't just be dead, but she would also be with, Akemi. Could she expose that to Gabrielle? Although they were going through an argument and harmful words was said, Xena haven't the heart to cause her lover any form of pain. Either way, Gabrielle would suffer unless Xena changed her choice, which wasn't likely. The souls of Higuchi weren't the only ones Yodoshi captured. There were others as well, along with Akemi and altogether they was preventive from going to the afterlife. Akemi's father absorbed all the dead spirits of Higuchi, before adding sixty thousand more, bringing his total of undead warriors to a staggering one hundred thousand.

Harukata's forces almost numbered twenty-six thousand. It was inconceivable to think that victory could be won by combat on the battlefield alone. Their best effort to destroy Yodoshi coincided with what the old Shogun apprised.

Xena had to die.

Xena became more aware of her surroundings when she heard a loud yelp. Looking down, she saw the younger auburn haired woman she knocked over.

"Gods!" Tanya yelled. "You're in such a rush, where's the fire?"

Fire was the spark to all the troubles that now centered in Xena's world. She wasn't in the mood for Tanya's banter.

"We are ready to leave port. You should get to the galleys."

"I was on my way there." Tanya said, holding her appendage up. "Will you give me a hand?"

She reached and pulled Tanya on her feet. The dark warrior's demeanor was more colder than usual, Tanya noted as Xena stalked to the stables.

"Are you okay, Xena?"

"Get to the galleys, Tanya and stay to your own affairs." the answer came without a backward glance.

The young woman heeded the stern reply and went to where she was told.

Xena walked into Argo II's stall. The Palomino whinnied in excitement.

"Hey girl, I'm back." she spoke, rubbing the cream colored mane.

Its softness reminded her of Gabrielle's white gold hair doing the seasons of summer and winter. She would never see it that shade again. A profound sorrow gripped her very soul.

"Argo." Xena choked on tears. "I have to do something. Something of momentous proportions, that will free many spirits in bondage. I know what I must do, but I'm afraid once it is done, it can not be undone."

Droplets poured from Xena's eyes. "I have to do this, Argo. Your mother knew most of my brutal past. How much I had to repent for. I must yield to what I am chosen to do, even if it means to never see you, or-"

Xena's voice faltered with her resolve and she collapsed on her knees.

'I was suppose to get married. Live out the remainder of my days with my soul mate.' she ruminated as Argo neighed wildly at seeing her mistress in such distress.

Sadness wither into anger with Xena's thoughts turning dark. 'I finally had a chance of happiness. Real happiness. I deserve peace and to be happy. Gabrielle believes that and I do too. Haven't I atoned enough for one lifetime? Haven't I!'

Her fist pounded the hay straws in the stall. "Fuck 'em! Fuck them all!"

Xena sobbed, repeating the personal mantra over and over, until her enraged pupils soften at the golden ring that her petite lover had given her yesterday.

My Soul My Life.

The tall woman let out another soulful dirge. She knew what needed to be done, no matter how strongly she didn't want to do it. Xena accepted that she would have to hurt the only person she truly gave her heart to.

'Gabrielle, my love. This is going to break you.' she wailed more with the acknowledgement.

Argo II bent her head and gently nudged Xena, trying to offer some sort of comfort. The tender nudging put the tired somber warrior into a fitful sleep, all the while thinking in dreams, what was a Warrior Princess to do?

**{X&G}**

The blonde Amazon sat on the cot in hers and Xena's cabin with her tear streaked face pressed against bended knees. Gabrielle felt like her heart was in tatters after hearing Xena's declaration of Akemi's importance compared to her.

'That using bitch, Akemi! Stealing what's mine. Xena and I belong with each other. She was mine. Mine!' Gabrielle mused with faith.

The bard was no longer sure if it was her jealously that pushed Xena to want Akemi, or if her lover always wanted to from the beginning of finding out that Akemi in a sense, still lived. Gabrielle disliked herself for her earlier comments to Xena. A jealous lover wasn't one of her good qualities, particularly when it came to Xena. She was the only person that brought out the most excellent and worse in Gabrielle. Anger swelled within her.

'It's Xena's fault that I am like this.' she groused.

Thinking about all the times she had to play second fiddle to others that had Xena's attention. After they made love the first time, the Warrior Princess always found a way to relay to Gabrielle that they weren't committed to each other. Though she hated it, Gabrielle played along with her new lover's game of pretending not to have a sexual relationship in most of the worlds view. Xena would leave the young woman to make out with other men, then come back to her when the need and want for the bard's body was too great to deny. Each and every time, Gabrielle would give in when she swore that she wouldn't. A look from Xena and Gabrielle knew what was coming soon as they were alone. She relished in the sensations that Xena visited upon her body using a compassionate tongue, affectionate touches and loving fingers that glided inside of her, forcing a scream from Gabrielle's mouth, before an explosive orgasm made her moan, or shout Xena's name.

Rarely, if someone was travelling with them, mainly Joxer, Xena would still take her. She teased Gabrielle about staying quiet, which was a huge challenge for her and seldom she would fail. Xena on the other hand remained silent doing Gabrielle's ministrations whether they were by themselves, or with company. For a while, the Amazon Princess feared that she couldn't please her lover, but Xena would assure the bard that she satisfied her. Still Gabrielle had her doubts, until she had her tongue on the older woman's clitoris, drinking Xena's climax as it free flowed into her mouth. Yet, when Xena became pregnant with, Eve, she was very vocal and Gabrielle really couldn't get enough of the blue eyed warrior, but being hunted by gods, plus dealing with the Greater Good, their sex life was sporadic at best. It was a dry spell once Xena delivered, Eve.

The attention the mother showered on her baby made Gabrielle envious. All the love Xena could show her daughter in public and none for the petite blonde. So desperate for Xena's acceptance of their lives together, the Amazon Queen tried to settle with the Northern Steppes tribe. Xena wouldn't have it, so she started to plan her and Eve's exit. Under the threat of Olympian Gods, the raven haired warrior was willing to abandon Gabrielle, when all she wanted to do was keep Xena and Eve, her family safe. However, in the end, Xena decided to stay, but the bard became cautious of her soul mate altering her stance on living with the Amazons. She relinquished her title to Cyane III, whom were covetous of the position. Gabrielle didn't care, she just wanted to be with Xena. Next, they dropped Eve off in Amphipolis with Cyrene and then went on a sea voyage to Egypt to aid Cleopatra. The tears ceased falling from Gabrielle's eyes as the rage set in.

'I gave up my throne. I bestowed Eve with my Right of Caste and how was I rewarded by Xena? First she breaks off all sexual contact with me before we get to Egypt. Then I got a front row seat to watch her practically seduce Marc Antony in every way imaginable while in Alexandria. A Roman from the same tree as Caesar. The same people who betrayed her and had us crucified!'

Grabbing her sais from the cot, Gabrielle threw them both at the wooden walls of the cabin with all her strength and anger, causing them to impale all the way through to the hilt.

'I have every god given right to be jealous. She claims on multiple occasions that she loves me move than anybody, next she's kissing another.' Gabrielle ruminated.

Drying the wetness from her cheeks with her hands, she began speaking aloud. "Why did Xena ask me to marry her if she wanted someone else?" Gabrielle released a sigh. "Why did I agree, knowing how fickle she can be? Am I that despondent for her?"

Gabrielle was feeling nauseated after crying so much and thinking about her precarious relationship with Xena, before realizing that the ship was moving. She applied the pressure points to her wrist to stop the sea sickness and closed her orbs, remembering the ending results of when another warrior entered her life. A woman that wanted to take her from Xena and coaxed Gabrielle to be desirous of a different path away from her secret lover as well.

_Kneeling by the creek to rinse the last trace of the delicious rabbit stew out of the pot, I can't stop thinking how variant Xena's mood has been since giving Najara to the Phoenician authorities. Our ride on Argo through the forest was devoid of conversation and awkward. Even doing dinner, she said nothing the entire duration of it, until she'd finished her plate, telling me that she was gonna feed Argo some fruit and brush her down. _

_That was a candle-mark ago, now here I am, all by myself, unable to eat every bit of the tasty food I've made, because of wondering if she's mad at me for leaving her to be with, Najara. I had to though, if I didn't, Najara would have-_

_I can't picture my life without, Xena. My best friend. My Champion. But what about the words that Najara had told me? Did Xena really cast me off on her? I've quickly dismissed that claim and Xena's actions proved otherwise when she came back for me. Then I betrayed Najara. I pray that she'll forgive me for tricking her._

_Pondering on the subject is getting me nowhere when it comes to Xena's state of mind now. _

_"Once Xena gets back, I'll talk to her." I say silently._

_"About what?"_

_Startled, I look up to see Xena leaning on the tree closest to me. Gods, I hate that she is able to sneak up on me. There go the subtlety that I wanted._

_The cookware clean for another days use, I set it down before rising. "Xena, are you mad at me? Did I upset you?"_

_"No Gabrielle. I'm not upset, nor angry with you. Come on, let's get ready to sleep." she answers._

_Pushing off the tree, Xena moved towards the camp fire, but her reply did nothing to quell me._

_Walking over to the campsite also, I drove the issue further. "Xena if you have any misgivings about me leaving you in the Inn, it was because-"_

_"You don't have to explain." Xena cut my explanation short. "I know why."_

_"You do?" I ask relieved._

_"Yes. Can we sleep now." _

_It wasn't a question and Xena commenced un-equipping her bracers. Like our normal routine now, I reach out to aid her, but Xena backed away._

_"I got it." she gave me a false smile. "Why don't you lay down."_

_Something is wrong. I'm not allowing her to placate me anymore. "That is it, Xena. Clearly you are hiding your true feelings, don't deny it."_

_"Deny what? There's nothing wrong." Xena said._

_Taking the last of her armor off, she laid on her bedroll that was separate from mines._

_Fine, I will be blunt on other matters then. _

_"Really, everything is okay? So why did Najara tell me that you wanted me to stay with her?" I inquire more angry than intended._

_Xena sat up on her elbows, confusion written on her face and from that reaction, I wanted to take back what I had just asked. I should've not played the fool to Najara's lies. No way Xena could give me up to anyone._

_The next sentence out of her mouth destroyed that notion._

_"Like you weren't all on her when she spoke that craziness about the Light." Sitting up fully, Xena went on. "Oh, and once she talked of opening a Hospice, with the speed of Hermes, she became the Crusader of your heart."_

_My head was reeling. I did like Najara, maybe too much, but she couldn't ever take me from Xena. _

_Bending down, I cup Xena's chin while staring into that beautiful face. "You say that you know why I left with Najara. Do you? Do you really know?"_

_"You wanted her and she wanted you too. Who am I to interfere? I told her that it was for the best if you stayed with her and help run the Hospice."_

_"You were going to leave me?" my question is barely audible._

_"It's what you wanted." she retorts._

_"How dare you!" I shout, jumping to my feet. "You're wrong. I went with her, because she was going to kill you. Najara had her blade directly over top of you and if I hadn't said, or done anything, you would be dead now. That's the real reason you awoke alone. I did it for you, Xena." _

_"Is that when you became an initiate of the Light?" Xena query with indignation._

_My facial expression probably already gave me away. How bad could a small lie be? _

_No._

_No more lies. Dishonesty took the life of Solan, Xena's son and caused us to splinter. I will be truthful. _

_"I asked to join while you were gone to capture, Marat."_

_"Hmm, well I stand correct. You can still see her, Gabrielle. Make sure you know the visiting schedule for inmates."_

_Xena's chuckle brought my belligerent attitude to the fore. "You listen to me Xena and you listen good. I only did that mostly because of the Hospice. You of all people know how I feel about life."_

_I had to fight back my cursed memory of the bloody dagger in my hand after killing Meridian inside Dahak's temple. "As for, Najara. Yes, I admit that I was fascinated with her. She is an amazing warrior. She saved my life and appeared to have a reverence for it. Najara had an allure on me, it made me willing to confide certain fears, mainly your dark side, but it isn't merely enough to sever our connection. You have no idea what you do to me when I think of you, or when I am near you. I'll surrender any and everything for you." I confess wiping the foolish tears away. "But you have made it clear that you do not share the same sentiment."_

_That comment caused Xena to rise. She had a look of disbelief which was covered quickly with her mask that hid her emotions. _

_"You are right, Xena." I began my rhetoric. "Who are you? Who are you to me? Huh? Who are you, Xena? Obviously, you are the person that can live without me and I'm tired of it all. The pretending, the sneaking around with you. Most of all, I'm weary of not feeling loved, or being able to openly show it. At least, Najara didn't hide her intentions. She wanted me and I relished it. I should be with her... I will be with her."_

_I headed aimlessly into the woods. _

_"Where are you going?" Xena's tone was neutral._

_"Wherever I want. You're not my keeper, or lover." Locking eyes, I say. "Not anymore. I belong to Najara now, the person you gave me to."_

_Xena was livid, her stoic facade fell completely. "You are mine!"_

_I have no interest in being someone's token, not even Xena's. Ignoring her, I kept walking into the unknown, until Xena spun me, shoving me not to roughly onto the bark of a tree._

_"Xena." I lightly try to push the stronger woman off me._

_"I'm not letting you go."_

_"Why?"_

_"We belong together. I know it and so do you." she replied._

_Xena's hand travelled to my thigh, slowly caressing my skin. The heat at my center was set ablaze in an instant. Darn it! How does she do this to me?_

_"Xena, stop. Either talk to me, or let me go with the words you've already spoken."_

_Her right hand still rubbed my thigh, her left went to my breast._

_"Xena-"_

_My mouth was occupied by Xena's and reluctantly I opened my mouth slightly to receive her tongue, relenting further as our pink muscles tasted each other. A sought slipped from my throat and I feared with that knowledge, Xena felt in control. I know she is influenced by battle lust. I have felt its wrath just once and I won't ever forget it. Xena has been through the ringer today. From fighting slavers, to getting defeated by Najara. I know it's boiling under her skin. I'm curious if she will take me hard again like last time when her left appendage un-lace my top, releasing one of my breast to the cool night breeze._

_Xena flicked the taut nipple with her thumb, causing me to increase my moans. The hand on my thigh traversed to its primary goal, stroking my damp undergarment. Xena broke the kiss and licked my neck._

_"Gods, Xena." I groaned._

_Nipping it with her teeth almost sent me to the edge._

_"Who do you belong to?" Xena asked._

_I answered her with moans, stalling what I knew to be the inevitable, feeling my sex become saturated by her probing fingers._

_"Who?" she purred at my ear, sending shock waves through me._

_She wants me to say her name, but I will not accede to it, though I need her terribly._

_No!_

_No, I will not give in._

_Struggling to hold my composure, I plead. "Talk to me."_

_Staring into my lustful sea green orbs, Xena conceded. "Alright. While I am talking, do not move and I don't want to hear a peep out of you, unless I command it. Understand?"_

_A nod from my head was all I could give ceasing my aroused movements._

_Refraining hers as well, Xena continued speaking. "You recall when I told you about my travel to the Northern Steppes so that I could get to the Amazon's Land of the Dead, to see you after I thought you'd died with Hope?"_

_"Yes." I confirmed._

_Xena had divulged to me what happened with the remnant Northern Amazons that was nearly broken due to the aftermath of her betrayal as they was hounded by an expelled Amazon Shamaness named, Alti. Xena had to deal with her grief for me, also defeat Alti and her Berserker while enduring adventures in the sin trade for her past._

_"Alti gave me a glimpse of our future, that is how I found out you survived the fall into the lava pit. All of that I went through, continue to go through and you think I would exit your life, because I don't love you?" a few strokes between my legs punctuated Xena's question._

_"No." I moaned. "I... I... I thought-"_

_A stifle groan ended my own tirade when Xena shifted the soaked fabric to the side for direct contact with my silky clitoris._

_"You seem to have forgotten the rules." she sexually chastised me using her fingers. "I heard you say no, I don't need to hear you say more, because I haven't commanded you to say anything else. You are a talented bard, however, now is not the time for your wordplay. Okay?"_

_Another nod while I suppressed any kind of sound, but I was losing ground with my hips as they gyrated languidly._

_"Everything I do, or done lately is for a purpose. You should know that by now, but I guess I'll have to show you what you thought about me is false!" Xena exclaimed._

_Attacking my mouth with hers, Xena's thumb pulled my pinkish nipples, making wetness flow from the apex of my thighs down my leg. _

_Halting the kiss, she whispered. "I love you more than anyone. Toris, my mother, even Lyceus."_

_"Mmm." I surrendered to her words. The confession made me swoon. Xena haven't ever said something like that to me in our history with each other. I hope she means it and it is her who spoke it, not the battle lust._

_Xena clicked her tongue. "You can't follow directions."_

_Next, her head went downwards, taking my breast into her mouth and my hands shot up to hold it in place while she sucked gently. Xena paid more erotic attention to my twin mounds since they grew in size after giving birth to, Hope. _

_Placing my hands on Xena caused a repercussion in the form of her biting hard on the sensitive pale skin. That reverberation forced me to groan and I'm positive there are more consequences to come when my hips buck for my core to be ravish._

_"Enough, Gabrielle. You think I will tolerate your defiance." Xena glared at me and for the second time tonight, it wasn't a question._

_Xena's two digits emphasized what she meant, thrusting into my drenched sex._

_"Xena!" I cry out, followed with whimpers of pleasure as Xena's fingers lunged in and out of my canal._

_My hips oscillated with the invited extremity, breaking Xena's rule of no motion. Our eyes hadn't parted while I continued to defy. I don't intend to, it's just Xena always drive me wild, especially now when she plunged deeper and faster bringing my climax to the surface._

_"I'm sorry." I apologize, before offering my hand to her in hopes that she would forgive me for all my offenses this day and night._

_Xena grabbed it and held it down to my waist so that she could stroke me more thoroughly. Sluggishly, I slid my leg along the outside of her thighs and Xena asked again._

_"Who do you belong to?" _

_A final thrust from elongated fingers made my orgasm peak putting Xena's inquiry to rest from my very loud response._

_"You, Xena!"_

_My gorgeous lover smiled in satisfaction, feeling my hot liquid coat her two fingers. I convulsed, hardly recognizing the wet blanket withdrawing from my vagina._

_I was dizzy from the lingering aftereffects, muttering. "Only you, Xena. Always you."_

_Xena lowered me to the forest bed of grass and kissed me soundly. _

_"Don't forget it." she demanded, in advance of standing and walking away, leaving me in my revelry._

Back at the camp, Xena filled Gabrielle in on Alti's vision that plagued her. The bard wouldn't believe their deaths was gonna come true and tried to persuade Xena from believing it too.

'But we did die. I was foolish to think we could run from our fate.' Gabrielle thought, once her mind came back to the present. 'Am I a fool now?'

She gazed at the silver band on her index finger, scanning the engraving.

My Heart My Love.

The words at the moment felt hollow and meaningless.

'I should take it off and destroy it. Xena will never be mines, though at every turn she's sure to remind me I am hers."

The door to the cabin opened and Xena stepped inside. Her eyes was red from relentless tears as she looked at the petite Amazon on the cot.

"We need to talk, Gabrielle." she announced.

"Yes, Xena." Gabrielle agreed. "Let's talk."

**To Becontinued...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter 1

**Additional Note (Please Read): **This tale is tied in with, The Conqueror & Ri: A Twist of Destiny. If you haven't read both story's chapters preceding this one, you should do so. **Also I would like to thank the readers that take time out for my stories, especially Silvermoonlight, Bexteron, Nancy G aka Bumbling Bard and Marijke Bush. Your comments mean a ton to me. Enjoy! :-) **

**Xena & Gabrielle,**

**A Turn of Fate,**

**By Ahkiken**

**Chapter 10: Good-Bye**

The Warrior Princess saw that Gabrielle had red rimmed eyes, suspecting her own were probably the same color from crying and tiredness.

The bard also looked at Xena to see that her appearance was worse for wear. 'She looks worn out and her eyes are like rubies. Must be from exhaustion after staying up all day and night thinking about Akemi.'

Xena bent down beside the cot, grasping Gabrielle's hands in hers and kissing them. "Gabrielle, in all the world, the most blessed poet couldn't sing of my love for you. They wouldn't be able to, because the level of passion I have for you is beyond words. I adore you with every ounce of my very being. We said some-"

Xena paused and corrected herself. "I threaten you, but you know that I would never cause you physical pain ever again. I would destroy myself before I'd harm you. You're my light. My source. My Angel." she kissed Gabrielle's hands once more, then placed her face on them to cease the tears that were forming.

The anger inside Gabrielle subsided. She tried to pull her appendages free so that she could caress Xena, but the tall warrior had a lock on them and wasn't letting go.

"What is it, Xena?" she asked weary. "Tell me what it is that has you this way."

"Do you love me?"

Gabrielle couldn't fathom why her lover would ask such a question. "You know I do."

"Say it to me please." Xena plead. "I need to hear your beautiful voice saying what I swore was meaningless in my life. Please say it."

Gabrielle haven't ever seen Xena act like this in all their years together. She was a mix of vexation and astonishment at Xena's display of emotions.

"I love you."

Xena released Gabrielle's hands and gazed into her aqua orbs. "One more time."

"I love you, Xena." Gabrielle stated.

Xena raised up to capture Gabrielle's rosy lips with a powerful kiss that spoke of the vehemence their relationship always incurred. The little Amazon wanted Xena in the most profound form of love possible. Shoving everything she had discovered earlier, Gabrielle begun sliding the straps to Xena's battle dress off her shoulders while their tongues persisted engaging in what lovers been doing since the Titan, Cronus gave his name to time.

Xena halted the intimate moment. "No, Gabrielle."

"Why?" she inquired, sucking the dark warrior's neck as she spoke. "You need me exactly like I need you. We are forever connected. Now make love to me. I want to link with you, so that we won't become desultory from each other. I hate it when we aren't on the same path."

Xena rose onto her feet. "Not yet. Come, sit with me real quick. There's something I want to show you."

Next, Xena tugged on the bard's arms, causing her to stand and brought her to the middle of the cabin where the Sacred katana laid. Xena kneeled and Gabrielle did too, all the while preferring that the damned sword hadn't appeared in hers and Xena's lives. She couldn't stand for what it represented.

"Give me your hands." Xena said.

Gabrielle did so and watched Xena bring them up below her jaw line.

"Alright. Here. Feel the surge of blood under the skin. Now just behind-"

"Xena." Gabrielle got the concept of what she was doing. "You don't have to do this. I understand why you would never teach me the pinch."

Xena knew that Gabrielle was referring to Akemi. Still, it didn't alter her stance. "No. No, today more than ever... I want you to know what I know. Please."

There the word, uncommonly utilized in Xena's vocabulary, was uttered again and Gabrielle caved in to her lover's will. Concentrating on Xena's direction and feeling the pressure on the Warrior Princess' neck, Gabrielle felt when the pinch was applied.

"Why are you doing this?" she questioned.

"Gabrielle." Xena wheezed. "If I only had thirty seconds to live... This is how I'd want to live them... Looking into your eyes..."

Seeing the blood trickle from Xena's nose, Gabrielle couldn't take the sight of watching the person she cherished suffer. "Stop this. Stop it!"

"Always remember, I love you." Xena declared.

Gabrielle took the pinch off and wiped the crimson liquid from Xena's upper lip.

"Why would you teach me this now?" Gabrielle hoped it had nothing to do with the Japian girl. She was tired of, Akemi. "I don't understand!"

"There's nothing to understand..." Xena replied, getting her breath back in control. "I just wanted you to know everything I know."

The raven haired woman kissed Gabrielle's forehead.

"This has nothing to do with Akemi?" the Amazon was quizzical.

"No." Xena responded. "Come to bed with me now."

Gabrielle caught the hesitation in the tone.

Standing up, she accused. "You're lying, Xena!" her rage began surfacing once more. "I'm certain you are. What, you wanted to get a final good fuck in before you leave me?"

"Gabrielle, that is absurd. What are you talking-" Xena stopped her sentence.

Her natural instants of compendium kicked in as she surveyed the room. Gabrielle's sais were imbedded in the wall, probably from rage. The Warrior Princess had mistaken the bard's eagerness to talk and her red eyes for Gabrielle being upset, or sad because of Xena's intentions to hurt her at the meeting with the Samurai. She assumed, that had taking its toll on the petite warrior, but with Gabrielle's accusation of her leaving, all the pieces started to fit together.

'She knows?' Xena feared.

"What were you gonna say, Xena?" Gabrielle's fury was unleashing. "Was you planning on some other conjured lie?"

"What did you hear?"

"Enough to learn that I'm not important to you!" Gabrielle yelled. "You could've spoken to me. You didn't have to tell, Harukata!"

Xena stood on her feet and hugged her supposed future wife. "You're correct, Gabrielle. I should've talked to you first, instead of making an impulsive decision without your acknowledgement. I shouldn't have told you to leave the conversation between me and Harukata to begin with, but now that the truth is unveiled, you do conceive why I have to do this, don't you?"

Gabrielle's heart froze. After everything that just happened. Xena's loving confession and her plea for the bard's love was only a prelude to emptiness.

Gabrielle shoved Xena away from her with great force, almost knocking the woman down. "This is a game to you, isn't it?"

Xena's puzzled expression fueled Gabrielle's anger and tears welled up. "I'm a stupid fool, ain't I? I heard your declaration of Akemi's importance over me, however I was still willing and ready to give myself to you. I decided to eject all I've discovered out of my mind and allow you to use my body. I'm a fool."

"I've never said that Akemi was more important than you!" Xena shouted, wondering how things became so construed.

Gabrielle cleared the droplets off her eyes in irritation. "Just stop, okay." she held back a sob. "Just stop with the lies. I heard you, Xena. I remember your words well. You explained that I was and will always be important to you, but the situation is bigger than me. Too extreme to ignore."

Gabrielle looked at Xena with mixture of sadness and animosity. "When Akemi calls, you said that you'll go to her. Did I get it right, Xena? Do you recall those statements made by you, because I do."

If the circumstances weren't dire, Xena would have laughed at Gabrielle's misunderstanding. "What else did you hear?"

"Does it matter! Isn't that enough!" she answered loudly.

And here it was, the two sided dinar to Xena's question of whether she should tell Gabrielle about her upcoming death, or keep it a secret. On one side of the coin, she could disclose all the details concerning Higuchi as well as Yodoshi and how it coincides with her demise. But being so close to Greece, Gabrielle would beg for Xena to not go through with it and she'll relent in her duty.

On the other side, Xena could play off Gabrielle's ignorance and let her remain thinking that she wanted Akemi. It was wrong by moral standards and it'll hurt Gabrielle, but it would also shield the short haired blonde from learning that she'd lose a part of her soul. All she had to do was get the Shogun, including his Samurai to swear an oath not to inform Gabrielle about the events that was to unfold and the plot could work. If Xena played her role really well, she could cause Gabrielle to despise her and return to Greece where she would be safe from the battle in Japa.

A verdict was in. Xena chose to keep Gabrielle in the dark.

"Why are you going to Akemi?" Gabrielle inquired, not liking Xena's silence. "Have I misinterpret what you were saying? Is Akemi the key to defeating her father, that's the reasoning for summoning you and the purpose for you to go to her?"

Xena was still quiet, causing Gabrielle to grab both her shoulders yelling. "Say something! Tell me, it's not what I think it is! Tell me, I'm more imperative than her, that our love is greater than all of this!"

'Forgive me, Gabrielle.' Xena ruminated while sheltering her true feelings and letting her stoic mask grace her features.

"Tell me!" Gabrielle screamed.

"You didn't misjudge anything." Xena's cold response shook Gabrielle to her core. "I loved Akemi before you and now I have the opportunity to be reunited with her again. I haven't stopped loving her, so I am seizing this lucky chance."

The Amazon began to cry uncontrollably while her fist pounded on Xena's chest. "You're lying! You don't mean that! You can't! You can't, Xena!"

"I do." she replied impassively. "Akemi's my real soul mate. I realize that now."

Gabrielle's knees buckled, making her fall to the floorboards.

"No!" Gabrielle cried, her arms enclosed Xena's boot. "No! You can't abandon me! You can't! We've been through so much for one another! I'm sorry for what I said to you! I was jealous and angry! Please!"

Her voice became more softer. "We're to be married, Xena. It break my heart to watch you love others, because you are the only person I want. Look at the ring I have given you. The words are right there for you to see. I meant them. You are my soul. You are my life. I'm lost without you."

"Speaking of rings. You've paid a large sum for this silly thing." the apathetic woman said.

"Silly?" Gabrielle felt like she was in a nightmare.

"Yes and you wasted almost all our dinars on it. We had one hundred fifty-seven, but when I searched the saddle bags, I've only found five. We're damn near broke if you ask me, Gabrielle."

The Amazon couldn't believe her ears. In Potidaea, just a few days ago, she had haggled the merchant into selling the ring and engraving it for one hundred fifty-two dinars, instead of the three hundred he originally wanted. Either way, it shouldn't matter how much the band cost. Xena never cared about the amount of money they had, besides it was symbolic for their love and future union.

Xena's deportment became extremely bizarre to her. "Xena, why are you doing this to me? I find nothing you say to be credible any longer."

"That's because you don't want to accept what I am saying." Xena bended down and cupped Gabrielle's face, going for a different tact to be believable. "I'll be honest with you, Gabrielle. I did have intentions to marry you, but your jealousy and the disregard for sharing what I be telling you about my past with others, grates on my nerves."

"And you don't have flaws, Xena?" Gabrielle retorted. "I mentioned of the concernment I had about my dream last night, that left me unease. There weren't any inquisitions from you that showed you care. What of my scrolls that I pour my all into? You take no interest in reading any further than the few you've already read. Also, sometimes, it's like you don't feel at all when I speak of how much I feel about us, but still I'm in love with you and you know that. Tell me you don't love me anymore."

"What point will that serve. I'm going to, Akemi. That's the end of it."

"If you honestly say that you're no longer in love with me, I'll let you go, Xena." Gabrielle lied.

Still clutching the bard's wet face, Xena's sapphire irises locked on hers when she said. "I love you, Gabrielle, I told you that, but I'm not in love with you anymore. Guess I should tell you now that I can revive Akemi and be with the person I truly am in love with."

Instantly, Gabrielle peeled her face from Xena's grasp and slapped her hard across hers, wanting so badly to erase the expressionless mask she remained wearing. Nonetheless, Xena's facade was unfazed, so Gabrielle hit her again.

"Liar!" she sobbed anew, then smacked her once more. "Liar!"

Gabrielle's hand was aiming to attack a fourth time, but she instead begun to caress Xena's stinging jaw.

"I'm insecure of you, but I know you couldn't ever leave me. I sense it in my soul that you are lying to me. Your actions when you came in here was-"

"A ruse." Xena interrupted. "I felt sorry for you, because of what I had to tell you and you were right. I was hoping to get you in bed one last time."

Gabrielle was seeing red and went to strike again.

Xena quickly captured her wrist. "I allowed you to hit me enough." she squeezed the tendons painfully, making Gabrielle hiss in advance of pushing the petite Amazon to the floor.

Xena picked up the Grand katana and then stood to her full stature. Next, the Warrior Princess hastily equipped her entire armor and weapons while Gabrielle laid where she was pushed, holding her aching wrist that nowhere near compared to the ache in her heart.

Xena splashed some water on her face, hardly able to keep up her performance. Inside she was hurting for what she was doing and wanted to remit, however the dark warrior knew she had to finish the deception.

Glancing over her shoulder at the prone bard, Xena said. "Get up, Gabrielle. You look pathetic laying there."

Gabrielle didn't respond. She was completely confused by her now ex-lover. The happiness she had always desired was within her reach. Xena and herself was bound for a settling couple, that would sooner or later find peace in their lives.

So she thought.

'It was all a dream.' Gabrielle introspect sadly.

Xena turned back around, her voice becoming menacing. "Get up, Gabrielle."

"Why?" Gabrielle broke her silence. "I should have known you were breaking off our bonding. I feared it, but I should've known. Akemi won and you will soon have what you want too. How am I hurting you, or causing you any discomfort by laying here where you have put me. So please, just go and leave me alone. You freed me from this relationship."

Xena let her own jealousy play a role. "Well at least you're free to be with that blue armor wearing boy. What's his name? Zicalus, is it?"

Gabrielle gazed at her. "I trusted you, Xena. You promised me that I could trust that you wouldn't hurt me. You're heartless. Go be with that body slave whore. You're both manipulative people who deserve each other."

Xena smirked. "Your mouth isn't my favorite aspect of you. It's never quiescent."

"You could've fooled me. You don't seem to have a problem when I'm using it on you." Gabrielle affirmed. "This is all my fault. You did warn me when I first tried to give you my heart. You confessed that you would use me and hurt me. That's why I married Perdicus. He'd loved me and possibly was my true love."

"Yeah, maybe." Xena hid her dismay, before removing the gold circlet off her index finger. "You'll be needing this for when you choose somebody for the position, because it won't be me."

Watching Xena set the ring on the table, Gabrielle started wailing as the realization that her and the love of her life was really ended. She placed her head in the crook of her forearm and cried. The sound of Gabrielle's cry was making Xena come undone, nevertheless she didn't falter.

Perhaps she could talk the Amazon into disembarking the ship, now. "Gabrielle."

The bard did not answer, but her wails muffled some. Xena walked towards her and coaxed Gabrielle to look at her.

"You don't have to journey to Japa with me. I can have Harukata steer the ship back to port." Xena said. "You can stay in Greece."

Gabrielle was hyperventilating as she spoke. "You... really want... to be rid of me... I could... never... never leave your... side Xe-"

"Don't you get it!" Xena became adamant, she was worried for Gabrielle's life. "I don't want you by my side."

"How can you... be so cruel... to me, Xena?" Gabrielle asked. "It's so easy... for... you to let me go... It always been that way... It's probably a skill... you acquired from... Ares. However... the God I give my faith to... is full of love. I couldn't, nor wouldn't... hate you, or... hurt you... deliberately. Right now though, I can't stand the sight of you... so just leave me be."

"This battle will be dangerous. You could die. I'm trying to save your life." Xena professed.

"Go!" Gabrielle shouted, before saying softly. "I renounce you."

The young woman's statement pained Xena, but she didn't dwell on it. Giving up on trying to make Gabrielle return to Greece, Xena arose to her feet and opened the cabin door to exit.

"Good-bye, Gabrielle." she said her farewell. "I won't ever bother you from this point to the end of my days."

After the door closed and Xena was gone, Gabrielle failed to lift herself off the floor. She chose to ball up into a fetal posture, letting the tears fall silently.

"I'm okay." she fibbed to herself. "I'm okay."

**{X&G}**

Xena trekked languidly to Harukata's conference cabin. Her resolve was falling faster than a landslide for what she had done to Gabrielle. Still, there was one other thing that needed to be taken care of in order to seal the plan she'd put in motion.

Xena knocked on the door and then entered without waiting for an invitation. The only occupants was an unmasked Shogun who was sitting and speaking to Koska, whom had his helmet off as well.

Harukata's attention fell on her. "By all means, Xena. Come in."

Xena ignored Koska's glare and proceeded to move forward, halting her steps once she was standing in front of the old man.

"I need an oath from you and all your Samurai, on the Bushido Code, that no one will divulge to Gabrielle my fate." Xena demanded.

"Gabrielle San is staying." he query. "I thought that you would be requesting we head back to Greece."

"Swear!" she yelled.

"Who do you think you're talking to in that manner!" Koska growled, reaching for his blade.

The raven haired warrior brought the Sacred katana she already held in her hand inches from his throat.

"Unsheathe your weapon Samurai and your head will be rolling before you used it." she promised.

Koska slowly raised his hands in surrender.

"Xena." the Shogun aimed for appeasement to end the current situation. "You have my word that none of my warriors, including myself will avow to Gabrielle San what is to happen in Japa dealing with your death. Now remove your katana from Koska."

Xena lowered the sword away from the sun fire armored man, bringing him relief.

"Thank you." Xena offered her gratitude.

"You're welcome." Harukata replied. "But I do think it'll be best if you told her the truth."

"Stick with what you know and I'll stick with mines." Xena responded. "Gabrielle is relentless when it comes to getting her way with me lately. If she discovers that I am to die, she'll coerce me into jumping over board just to escape it. I'm positive that all of Japa would be under Yodoshi in a matter of no time while I am living happily ever after in Egypt. It's no way your forces can prevail without me."

"True." Harukata acceded. "What of Gabrielle San? We aren't too far from Sione. Surely you want me to go back."

"She won't leave and I will not force her." Xena answered. "I'll work out something to ensure her protection. In the mean time, one of my ideas is to inspect your men."

The Shogun was curious. "For what purpose?"

"To see how good they are in combat when it comes to individual and team battle." she said. "Also to find out if they can follow commands."

"They handle themselves well." Harukata was somewhat bothered.

"Under your guidance, not mines." Xena announced tersely.

"You want leadership over my Samurai?" he inquired defensively.

"No." Xena assured him. "I need to know that Gabrielle is in safe care. I must be able to weed out the weak from the strong and place Gabrielle with the strongest Samurai. She will place herself in harms way to save a person and I don't want her throwing away her life for anyone worthless."

"No man on this ship is worthless." Koska argued. "You are a woman, Xena. None of the men will listen to you."

"But reluctantly, they'll obey their Shogun if he order them to follow my commandments." Xena deduced.

Hatukata frowned, contemplating what Xena wanted. However, she was growing abrade.

"I train them and witness what they are capable of, or I walk."

"We don't require you training anybody." Koska stated. "We need you to die."

Xena's temper flared. "I'm not dying only to leave my best friend to be slaughtered by Yodoshi's forces, you dumb bastard."

"Fool." he retaliated. "You must die so innocent people that you've killed can be freed."

Xena's hand gripped the katana tightly. She was sure that slaying Koska would just cause Harukata to be highly pissed, nothing more. After everything she's been through lately, what else could befall her. She was already doomed.

"That is it!" the Shogun exclaimed. "You are dismissed, Koska."

Koska started to protest, but thought better of it. He bowed and departed the cabin.

Placing his focus on Xena, Harukata told her. "Although he has a right to not tolerate disrespect, I do not like Koska's attitude. You are very insolent and are pushing my limits of toleration as well."

"I am a dead woman walking." Xena didn't back down. "I'll push far as I want."

"Be that as it may." Harukata expelled a sigh. "I will assemble a quarter of my Samurai warriors. You can instruct the first two hundred tomorrow, and so on, until you've viewed all eight hundred. Since it isn't adequate space inside the armory, they'll be on the bottom deck waiting for you come noon. Consider this the concluding favor you'll get from me."

"Very well." Xena replied, before adding. "But one other thing. I need another room. The cot isn't comfortable for me and Gabrielle, it's too small."

Harukata gazed at her disapprovingly and then conceded. "Kenji will set you up in a cabin of your own."

"That, Shogun, will be my last request." Xena smiled. "For today."

**To Becontinued...**


End file.
